


Into the Unknown

by Wildmustang8



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: Anger, Betrayal, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, IED, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Love, Music, References to Depression, Romance, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:41:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23603236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wildmustang8/pseuds/Wildmustang8
Summary: Tobin Shea has always had a hard time finding someone for her. She wasn't one to open up, and she barely got close to many. But one mysterious guy catches her eye. Maybe he will be the one she's been hoping for and help her blossom into who she really can be.
Relationships: Kassam/Main Character (Love Island)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

_"I need a sunrise in the dawn."_

All eyes were drawn to the petite brunette who stared in silence after her name had spilled from Lucas’s lips. 

“Tobin.” 

She blinked in surprise, her eyes moving around the group before landing on her one friend that has had her back since the beginning, Bobby. His amber eyes held confusion before shrugging his shoulders at her. He couldn’t do anything about it, and she knew that. Her unusual blue/hazel eyes moved back to Lucas who stood there awkwardly. Clearing her throat, Tobin walked over slowly to the tall doctor with her hands sweating and trembling. 

_What the fuck_ _is going on?_

The two sat down beside each other, and she crossed one leg over the other and her arms over her chest, hoping to appear smaller and not touch Lucas. She looked down at the other couples that were sat down. Jakub had picked Hope, surprising everyone. Noah went for Priya. Ibrahim, who was annoyed with Noah for taking Priya, coupled with Lottie. And she was with Lucas, much to her surprise as well. Sure, they got on well, but she wasn’t comfortable around him yet. Or at least, not as much as she was with Bobby and Gary, who she’d rather be coupled with. 

_Alright_ _, whatever. Maybe we might have a connection we haven’t found yet. Anything could happen._ She sighed and looked down at her pale hands, twisting the ring on her finger. _I mean, I haven’t found that "_ _spark_ _”_ _as everyone calls it._ _Only just those friendship connections._

She was jolted out of her thoughts when everyone had begun laughing suddenly, except for Jakub. Gary had chosen Chelsea, and Bobby- Marisol. 

“This is an absolute disaster!” Everyone laughed harder as Tobin offered a weak smile. 

_You don’t say, Priya?_

Eventually, everyone slowly settled down and finally acknowledged that the villa’s “power couple” was no longer in a couple. 

“I think there are some conversations that are needed.” Hope broke the silence as her eyes were on Noah’s. 

“Yeah!” The pro golfer exclaimed as his dark eyes narrowed in on Jakub. “How come you picked Hope? Her and Noah have always been together.” To which the silent librarian agreed with a glare. 

“I’d like to know that as well.” 

“I knew someone would ask,” Jakub rolled his eyes. “Listen, Rahim-” 

“Call me Ibrahim, mate. We don’t know each other.” 

“Alright, _Ibrahim,_ I don’t have to explain myself to you,” Jakub sneered. 

Tobin’s hand shot up.

“Actually, you do,” her smooth, soft Irish accent flew out quickly. 

_Clearly._

Heads nodded in agreeance. 

“Okay, fine. I think Hope and I have a good, um, chemistry. I wanted to see where it went,” the burly man looked at Hope. “I think she’s hot. She thinks I'm hot.” 

Gary grunted. “You don’t know that, mate.” 

“I think I do, mate.” Maliciousness speared through Jakub’s voice, and Tobin’s eyes widened. _Oh no._

“Guys, can we please not? Or at least chill? It’s already been a rough evening, _obviously_ ,” Tobin stood up from her seat and walked over to Gary, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I think it would be best if we just hear how everyone is feeling without a square off.” 

The islanders looked around at each other, unsure. Obviously, Noah and Hope needed to talk though. 

“Like Hope. How is she feeling about this?” Marisol looked to the dark-skinned girl. 

“Yeah, I think she should be the one who we should all listen to,” Lottie’s voice came out for the first time since everyone settled down. 

“Fine... Look you guys, I know you’re all,” Hope struggled to find the word. “I know this is a weird development for the group, but we can’t ignore the fact that it hasn’t been a smooth sailing for me and Noah these past few days, and that’s partially coming from him-” 

Tobin rolled her eyes at Hope and crossed her arms with a huff. Gary wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, knowing her distaste for Hope. 

“-he had that thing with Priya, after all, and even with some of you trying to open his eyes to look somewhere other than me,” Hope’s eyes met hers with a glare, and she looked down at her feet, feeling the crane operator squeeze her shoulder. “I’m basically ready to try something new.” 

Noah looked gutted from Hope’s words. 

“Can we talk about this for moment, Hope?” Tobin felt for the librarian. 

“I’m sorry, but that isn’t what is best for me.” 

“But I-” Hope cut him off with a shake of her head and walked off away from the firepit, Jakub gladly following. 

Lucas glanced to the small girl under Gary’s arm. “I think we should go have a chat.” 

“I think that is a good idea.” She didn’t wait and slid out of the comforting hold, heading the daybeds with the doctor quietly following behind. 

* * *

It was awkward, to say the least. Tobin was playing with the ring on her finger again before Lucas finally broke the silence. 

“So, um, you didn’t seem too pleased when I picked you.”

She had the urge to roll her eyes but held off. 

“Well, I wasn’t exactly expecting it,” she finally met his dark eyes. “I mean, we get along, sure, but we never really talked much before, or at least that much alone.” 

“But?” He looked hopeful. 

“But,” she sighed and offered a small smile. “I’m willing to see where it goes. We haven’t had much time, so maybe now that we get the chance, there may be something here.” 

He smiled brightly and looked like he was going to hug her but was hesitant. She chuckled and offered a pat on his hand. Most knew how she wasn’t one to be touchy-feely with someone she barely knew. She was only that way with four others: Bobby, Gary, Lottie and Priya. Chelsea was slowly making her way into that small group, but the girl was so bubbly, it was a miracle Tobin could keep up with what she said. 

* * *

The quiet brunette was in the kitchen, sitting on a bar stool, while she twirled her water bottle around. She barely acknowledged the baker when he walked in, a permanent frown placed on her lips. The slim but muscled arm wrapped around her shoulders, and she leaned her head into his shoulder, easing herself into his hold. 

“I’m going to be honest. I did not see this recoupling to happen the way it did,” Bobby kissed the top of her head. “And I think it may be good to talk about this because of you-” 

He was cut off when Jakub, Hope, Chelsea, and Priya came into the kitchen, laughing about something. Bobby looked annoyed but immediately stopped talking, his eyes meeting hers. 

_Thank you._ Her eyes said, and he offered a small smile. 

“We can talk about it tomorrow.” 

She stood up, pulling out Bobby’s hold, with a nod. She placed a friendly kiss on his cheek and walked out to the dressing room. She slipped out of her evening wear and into her #cherrygate pajamas. By the time she got into the bedroom, Lucas was already in bed. She slid under the covers, curling up on her side, and hugged a pillow close to her. She could his body moving and tensed when she felt his fingers glide through her loose hair on the bed. 

_Well, that’s a sweet gesture._

Unwrapping from the pillow, Tobin slowly rolled over to Lucas. He looked at her as if he a deer caught in headlights from playing with her hair. His mouth opened to say something but closed it shut when no words came out, and he only offered a sheepish smile. 

“Sorry, it just looked so soft.” 

She giggled and shook her head at him. “It’s okay.” 

“Alright, boo.” Bobby’s voice echoed through the room. 

“You get one warning, Bobby. I’m going to tell you now, that if anyone calls me ‘boo’, I'm running for the hills,” Marisol responded with sass. 

Tobin and Lucas looked at each other in amusement before she found herself scooting closer to him, offering to cuddle with him for tonight. He looked at confused. 

“Lucas, darling, don’t look too confused,” she smiled gently. “I’m okay if we cuddle tonight.” 

“Really?” He looked shocked before throwing the expression off his face and gently wrapped his arms around her small frame, pulling her close. 

His skin was warm to her, and she let herself relax in his arms. This was the first time she was held by someone other than Bobby, Gary, or Priya in the villa. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes and leaned her forward against his chest that rose and fell in a pattern as he fell asleep. 

_Maybe this will be better than I think._

_* * *_

Her eyes blinked open at the sound of a ‘ding’ beside her head. She squinted and picked up her phone. She suddenly sat up in surprise. 

**_Tobin, today you and the girls are going on a_** ** _mini-break_** ** _. You must all get ready and meet at the entrance without waking the boys._ **

**_#_** ** _catsaway_ ** **_#_** ** _micegonnaplay_ **

_Wha_ _-_ she looked around and spotted Lottie sitting up with her phone in her hand. 

The two locked eyes and the witch sent her a smile. The two got out of bed quietly and tip toed into the room, giggling. 

“I can’t believe it! We’re going somewhere!” Lottie was excited. 

Before Tobin could reply, the other girls came in with happy smiles. 

“Good work being quiet everyone.” Hope looked at all of the girls. 

“Did you girls get the text as well?” Chelsea looked as if she was going to burst. 

“About the trip? Yeah,” Tobin shrugged her shoulder while she dug through her drawer to find a bikini to wear. 

“Can you imagine the boys’ faces when they wake up and we’re not here?” Hope grinned deviously. “I wish I could see it. It’s gonna be so funny.” 

“Alright, lets get ready and get out of her quick.” _Already on it, Lola._

Tobin pulled on her favorite green and black bikini with a pair of black high tops. She braided her hair back into two French braids. Noticing she was the only one ready, her mind went back to Lucas in bed. She figured it may be best to let him know what was going on, of what little she knew. 

Quietly slipping out into the bedroom, she bent down next to him. She gently shook his shoulder, and he blinked his eyes open and smiled at her. 

“Hey there.” _Oh damn. That morning voice is, um, wow._

She blushed slightly at her thought and was glad for the dark room. “I don’t have much time, but I wanted to let you know the girls and I are going on some trip,” she smiled gently at him. 

“Hm, thank you,” he reached down and placed a hand on her cheek ever so slightly, his fingertips grazing against her skin. 

She looked up when hearing the girls starting to leave. Looking back to the doctor in bed, she reached over and ruffled his hair before standing up. 

“I’ll see you later,” she smiled and headed out to the girls in front of the villa where the jeeps sat. 

She climbed into the one with Lottie and Chelsea who were looking at her with a grin. 

“And where were you?” 

Tobin blushed and looked down only to hear the villa door open as Lucas walk out. Lottie closed the door before he could utter a word and the jeeps drove off. 

* * *

_Oh no..._

A huge new villa sat in front of them as the piled out of the jeeps. Casa Amor. This meant five new boys were going to be there, and Tobin couldn’t think of anything worse. New boys, and that could mean anything could happen. 

“Come on!” Priya squealed and grabbed Tobin’s wrist, pulling her into the villa with everyone else following. 

“Girls, we’re in Casa Amor!” Chelsea clapped her hands. 

_Wow, really? I wouldn’t have thought that._

“We’re here! It’s really happening!” Tobin looked away from Hope, rolling her eyes. 

Chelsea squealed and grabbed the bottle of champagne. “Look! It’s bubbly!” 

“Girls on tour! Girls on tour!” 

A beep sounded from Tobin’s phone, and she read it out. 

**_Girls. Welcome to Casa Amor. You’ll be staying here for the next few days. Some new islanders are on their way. Have fun._ **

**_#_** ** _girlswillbegirls_ ** **_#_** ** _newvillanewrules_ ** **_#eggsinbaskets_ **

“New islanders? Do you think they mean new boys?” The bubbly blonde looked at everyone. 

Tobin held back the urge to facepalm while Lottie responded to Chelsea. 

“Of course they do!” 

“Girls on tour! Girls on tour!” 

Chelsea offered some champagne to Tobin, but she shook her head and sat down on a lounger. 

_I wonder if this means there will be new girls at the other_ _villa?_ _I mean, good for Bobby, for sure. He deserves someone that will make him happy and_ _actually like_ _him_ _for_ _more than a friend._

“Girls, girls, girls!” Chelsea’s shout brought the colleen out of her thoughts. 

“What? No, babe!” Hope looked annoyed. “I was just trying to say something. I was just thinking of how it has been intense these last few days, and maybe this will be good for us. We’re going to be in this villa with new boys. Let’s all try and enjoy ourselves with these new guys, alright?” 

_You’re one to say that._ Tobin thought bitterly and crossed her arms over her chest. 

“But what about the boys back at the villa?” She looked at everyone. “I mean, if we’re all here with new guys, that has to mean there are new girls back there.” 

“You’re so right! But,” the aussie sent a reassuring smile. “we shouldn’t think much about it. We won’t have much fun here if we think about what is going on there.” 

_She’s right, Tobin. Calm down and try_ _to_ _enjoy yourself._

“I agree with Lottie!” Priya smiled as she set her glass down. “We have to stick together.” 

“How are you feeling, Hope? I know you want to have a good time, but could your head be turned?” Marisol was back to analyzing again. 

“Can I be honest?” Hope looked down, sighing. “I don’t really know. I don’t know how I feel about Noah, or Jakub. Or any of it, really. And now I-” 

Tobin tuned out Hope’s voice as she continued to talk. Hope was always talking, and sometimes, it just got on her nerves. She rubbed her temples with her fingers and closed her eyes. She just wanted to meet these boys already and get the awkward introductions out of the way. 

“-Tobin.” 

“Huh?” She looked up, blinking. 

“Could you have your head turned?” Chelsea smiled. 

“Ugh...” she bit her lip, twirling the ring on her finger. “If the right guy comes in. I just coupled up with Lucas, and it’s the first time I've ever really talked to the guy, so if someone comes in and gets my attention, then we’ll see.” 

The girls nod and began talking amongst themselves again, about the girls that are back in the villa. 

_Um, didn’t we just say that talking and thinking about those girls aren’t a good idea?_

Tobin rubbed her face tiredly. She didn’t sleep too well because of the cuddling between her and Lucas. He seemed like a good guy so far, but the cuddling might have been too soon for her. 

“Guys, I got a text!” Priya jumped up. 

**_Girls, it’s time to meet the new boys._ **

**_#_** ** _playnice_ ** **_#butnottoonice_ **

_Alright, let’s do this._

All of the girls were seated back down, waiting anxiously for the new boys to walk in. The first one to come in was dark-skinned guy who looked like he could be a model in Tobin’s opinion. 

“Alright, ladies. Nice to meet you all. I’m Elijah.” 

His dark eyes met hers, and she offered a small smile. 

Suddenly, someone else ran out and waved. _Wow! That’s some blue hair._

“Heyoo! Let’s get cracking! Alright!” Blue haired boy looked a bit too excited. “I’m Felix.” 

She shrugged her shoulders and looked towards the entrance, waiting for the next. A pale boy, about the same height as Bobby, walked out. Her eyes were instantly drawn to his own. They stuck out with an electric blue color. His hair was dark black, almost the color of black ink in a pen, and he also had a tattoos on his arm. 

“Hi,” his voice was deep, and what little he said, she wanted more. “What’s up? I’m Kassam.” 

_Kassam..._ she tested out his name and smiled to herself. 

He looked down the line of girls and gave a nod. When their gaze had met, she felt her heart pick up in speed. She flushed when he sent her a smirk, and she offered him a shy smile and wave. 

“Hello,” her voice came out in a squeak, and Lottie nudge her with a knowing smirk. 

_Oh Tobin. You’re in for it._

The next two guys came out. One was some large sailor man, and she barely caught his name as Graham as she was thinking he reminded her of Gary, in some strange way. His tattoos... they were something else. Then there was Arjun. A very hyper guy, that was for sure. Maybe a bit too much for her. 

The door opened one last time as someone else came out. He was quite a bit taller than the others with a lanky, but toned body. His hair was also black, and his eyes were a blue too. But what stuck out to her was when he spoke and an Irish accent came out. 

“Alright, lads?” 

“Alright there big man. What’s happening?” The new Gary spoke. 

“Ladies,” he grinned and winked at one of the girls down the line. “I’m Carl.” 

Once everyone realized that was all of them, Graham spoke up first. 

“I just want to say, lads, we’re all here for the same thing, yeah? We all want to meet a cracking girl and make something happen, and-” 

As he talked, Tobin could only register that Kassam had wandered over to Lottie, much to her displeasure. She sighed and ran a hand over her hair, brushing back the loose strands.She sat quietly by herself, watching all the islanders speak to themselves. She tried her best to stray away from Kassam and Lottie, and as much as she was attracted to him, he was probably more of Lottie’s type. Despite her liking Gary, maybe this guy was better for her. 

Carl was the first to speak to everyone. 

“So what are all your names?” 

“Well, I'm Marisol. That’s Tobin-” she gave a wave but stayed quiet as Chelsea cut in. 

“Carl, that is such a line!” 

_Oh, sweet Chelsea._

“Is it? I was just asking everyone their name...” Carl frowned. 

“-I want to know which girls have caught your eyes!” That caught Tobin’s attention. 

“I’d have to say from watching the show, the person I've had my eye on is...” his eyes moved around. “Hope. But it’s not like I've made my decision yet.” 

_Ugh oh, she’s going to get a big head now. Or bigger head._

“It’s all about Tobin, for me,” the pale girl shrunk when the blue haired boy shouted. “What about you, Kassam?” 

“Gotta be Lottie,” Tobin closed her eyes in disappointment. “And Tobin.” 

Her eyes snapped back open and turned to him in surprise. He was grinning at her, and she saw Lottie was as well. She returned the grin and bit her lip. Elijah mentioned Chelsea, and Arjun jumped in happily after. 

“Tobin. Or Hope, maybe? Or Priya? Probably Tobin first? I don’t know. It’s weird saying this all in front of you!” 

The petite girl flushed and looked down at her feet. She apparently had more attention than she thought. 

“I’m not sure which girl I want to get to know, to be honest,” the sailor finally offered his thought. “I’ll keep that to myself for now.” 

Tobin met Kassam’s gaze again, and the two stared at each other. She let herself rake in his full appearance now, going from head to toe. His dark hair sat atop his head in the perfect length, his eyes shined brighter from the sunlight that reflected off, his pale complexion complimented the bright blue eyes, and the tattoos on his arm added to his mysterious character. But the electric blue eyes held what she wanted. A huge mystery brewed inside, and she wanted to know everything behind them. She was determined. 

* * * 

The speed dating that occurred was exhausting. Her head was spinning from all the boys grafting hard, but she was happy to finally be able to speak to Kassam. She found out that he was a DJ from Newcastle, and the two quickly got into a flowing conversation about music but was cut short at the sound of the buzzer. By the end of it, she knew there were two of the boys that were in her eyes. First was Kassam, for sure. He stood out to her instantly, and she wanted nothing more than to get to know him. The other was Carl. They got on well, but she was more than happy to be friends with him. He was easy to talk to and listened intently. As of now, the girls were all upstairs. They were unpacking the suitcases that were packed by the boys, which sort of freaked her out, thinking of Lucas going through her drawers. 

“Is it just me who is worried about opening these?” Lottie took the words right out her mouth. 

“Nope! I’m scared to look,” the girls chuckled at Tobin’s expression as she was carefully opening the suitcase in slow motion. 

On top of her clothes, there was a shirt that was for sure not hers. Peaking closer, she noticed it was Lucas’s shirt. She blinked in surprise. It was a cute gift. There was also a note that said ‘Wish you were here’ but in Bobby’s handwriting. She snickered, knowing he was probably freaking out with new girls being there. 

“Awe, look! Tobin got a note and a shirt from Lucas!” Priya giggled. 

Tobin shrugged and placed the note down.

“It’s sweet.” 

“Lucky girl!” Lottie wiggled her finger at the pale girl. 

She picked up the shirt and noticed a smell. Frowning, she took a whiff before beginning to cough at the strong stench of aftershave. 

_How sweet..._

“Bobby packed me his favorite pair of socks! And they’re even cleaned!” Marisol laughed. 

“Wait, _the_ cupcake socks that is forbidden to be touched?” Tobin turned around and stared at the purple socks, grinning at the law student. “You should feel lucky.” 

“I got nothing interesting.” Lottie frowned to herself. 

“Guys, look! It’s the daisy chain I made on my first date!” Chelsea examined the flowers in her hand before tossing it aside and picking up a cork. “Oh, I can’t believe he packed this!” 

“Ugh...” Tobin glanced at the others who looked amused. “Where exactly has that been?” 

Chelsea frowned. “What do you mean?” 

“We’re all wondering.” Lottie snickered. 

“Alright, with that, I'm just gonna go...” she made a beeline out of the bedroom. 

As she was skipping down the steps of the stairs, she ran straight into a hard body. The two went tumbling down, and their arms wrapped around her to hold her against their chest and soften her fall. 

“Oof!” 

Tobin slowly opened her eyes once she realized nothing big happened, and she came face-to-face with Kassam. She blushed furiously in embarrassment at her clumsy moment, and she blushed even harder when she realized he was holding her in his arms. For once, she actually felt comfortable, like she fit perfectly there. She cleared her throat when she realized he wasn’t speaking, just staring at her. Slowly, she pulled out of his hold and sat beside him as he sat up. 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to run into you,” she looked at him sheepishly, biting her bottom lip. 

“No, don’t be. We both rounded that corner pretty quickly,” he ran a hand through his dark locks. 

_And silence..._

“Your eyes...” he broke the silence as he looked back into her eyes, and she suddenly felt self-conscious. 

“Oh, yeah, those...” she looked down and twisted the ring on her finger out of habit. “It’s called heterochromia. Basically, the pigment is different in this one eye than the other. I know, they look weird-” 

“What? No, they aren’t weird,” he shook his head. “It looks so cool. Beautiful even.” 

Her cheeks instantly flamed back up at the compliment. He smiled at her and brushed some hair out of her face, tingles left where his fingertips had grazed. The two were stuck in a trance, just staring into each other’s eyes. But it was broke when the sound of footsteps and voices sounded nearby. They stood up slowly, and Kassam looked as if he wanted to say something but stopped. 

“I’ll talk to you later, Kassam,” she smiled at him then walked off towards the kitchen, but she glanced back at him to see him still standing there with a small grin. 

When he caught her eyes, he shot her a wink, and she giggled before turning into the kitchen out of his sight. She was definitely in trouble. The two barely have talked to each other, but the way she felt around him, getting nervous and blushing so much, she knew it was something she has never had before with anyone in here. 

_Maybe, just maybe, he will be the one_ _._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used:
> 
> The Jester - Badflower  
> Far Away - Breaking Benjamin

_“Every map I follow leads to the unknown.”_

She sat atop the counter in the kitchen of the new villa, pots and pans placed out in front of her. A smile was present on her lips, almost sad, as she drummed her fingers from pot and pan. The sounds echoed through the room perfectly in a soft yet sad melody. 

_“Lord, I live to entertain_

_All my pride is in my praise_

_I hum along with this vibration_

_And hope to God I make it,”_

Her voice sang out gently with her eyes closed. Despite having the profession of a drummer, she still would sing if she had the urge, and even in a few songs for her band. When she did sing in a song, it would be to help as another persona in the song, showcasing another set of emotions for the message being shown. 

_“If any cord that I could strum_

_Make me feel less like a man_

_I’d slam my fingers in the doorway_

_And shatter all the bones_

_So_ _I could never strum again.”_

The tempo picked up as she moved quicker, moving back and forth between the makeshift drums. Her dark eyebrows crinkled together as dark memories invaded her mind, and her lips turned down into a frown. She didn’t stop, however. She didn’t like to show her emotions to people, but if she could through the words of a song on her own, she didn’t hold back. 

_“Is there anybody out there_

_Looking out for me?_

_Just say you want me_

_Just say you need me_

_Is there anybody out there_

_Looking out for me?_

_For me?”_

She wasn’t aware of the company that stood in the corner of the room until her eyes finally opened to meet the familiar electric blue. Her voice died in her throat while she froze in her spot. Kassam was there with an unreadable face and his arms crossed over his chest. Anxiety bloomed up in her chest as she was unable to speak from his intense gaze. 

_Of all the people, he had to be the one to see me sing such a song._

“I never knew you had a voice,” his voice was deep, and she swallowed, instantly starting to twist the ring on her finger. 

“I, ugh- sometimes,” she struggled to speak, her voice coming out in a squeak. “I mostly sing by myself, but I have helped in a few songs that were put out by my band.” 

“Hm.” 

_Hm?! That’s all?_

Tobin slid off the counter and stacked all of the pots and pans together with her back to him. She wiped a finger under her eyes, hoping to clear the mist that was still present. A soft hand set on her arm, and her body tensed up. Her eyes followed the hand to familiar looking tattoos and turned her head slightly to see he had come up behind her. Her nerves began to rise, and she looked away quickly as panic began to set in. He must have sensed her panic, and he pulled his hand away. 

“I was hoping we could get a chance to talk, actually.” 

She slowly turned around to face him, nodding at him to continue, and was grateful to see he had stepped back to give her some space. She leaned back against the counter on her elbows, curling her fingers on the edge. 

“Well,” Kassam looked almost awkward while running a hand over his hair. “I just want to get to know more about you, obviously.” 

“Well, what do you want to know?” She tilted her head to the side a bit. 

“I’m going to be honest, I haven’t exactly been keeping up with this show, but I have seen the highlights,” he started while crossing his arms over his chest again. “And I have noticed you haven’t gotten to close to any guys other than Bobby and Gary. Are either of them in a romantic nature?” 

Tobin let out a breathy laugh and shook her head.

“No, they aren’t. I’m closest with them, yes, but they’re just friends. I guess you can’t really see what we all see, so I can understand why you may think that.” 

“So there’s a chance you’re open to trying to get to know anyone here?” He looked quite uncomfortable to be asking that, and she raised her eyebrows at him. 

_Either he doesn’t like to put himself out there, or he isn’t sure he wants to get to know_ _me, just trying to find a way into the villa. I mean, I am_ _technically_ _one of the single ones here._ She thought bitterly. 

“I’m willing to try and see, but that isn’t set in stone yet,” her eyes lifted to meet his, challenging him with an intense stare, with a shrug of her shoulders.

“So,” he took a few steps closer to her until he was right in front of her. “You’re waiting to see if someone can catch your attention?” His voice had dropped to a deeper tone. 

“I’m not saying yes, but I won’t say no either,” she felt a sliver of confidence appear, so she straightened up, aware of how close they were, and she was okay with it. 

The two stared at each other, almost challengingly, to see who would be brave enough to make a move. 

_Stay strong. I know you're tempted to kiss him, but you_ _gotta_ _stay strong._

Taking the small amount of confidence she had, she leaned her head forward up on her toes to let her lips brush his ear ever so slightly. “I’m not going to be the easiest person to get to know, so best of luck.” With that, she pulled away, shooting him a sly smile, and walked out of the kitchen up to the room. 

If he wanted to actually get to know her, then he had to work for it. 

* * *

The girls were all together in the dressing room, getting ready for their first night in the new villa. Tobin sat on the floor with two different outfits in front of her, but her mind was still reeling on what had happened between her and the quiet, mysterious boy earlier. She was so close to him, and it didn’t make her go full panic like she has many times before. 

_Maybe that’s a good sign._ She picked at the black leather skirt in front of her. _But what if he doesn’t feel the_ _same?_ _What if I am only seen as an entrance?_

“Tobin?” Lottie’s voice pushed through her thoughts. 

“Huh?” 

“Are you going to get ready?” The villa’s witch raised her eyebrows, and Tobin looked around to see everyone else was already ready. 

She blushed and quickly stood up.

“Sorry, yeah.” 

Pushing the thoughts into the back her mind, she changed into the black leather skirt with a black cami bralette and stayed barefoot. She glanced at herself in the mirror before her eyes landed on a familiar flannel that was her piece from home. She smiled and grabbed it, pulling it on. She tied the ends together around her waist then pulled on silver bracelets then rings on her fingers. She ran her fingers over the two french braids with her lips pursed before tugging the braids out of their hold and running her fingers through her hair, now sitting in soft waves down her back. 

"I love this look!” Lottie shot Tobin a wink. “Show them what they’re missing.” 

She giggled, glancing over her appearance the mirror one last time, then followed everyone out to the yard where the boys were waiting. Chelsea immediately went and got a glass of champagne before coming back and handing Tobin her water bottle. She smiled thankfully and went to sit on one of the loungers with the hyper blonde. 

“Tobin, I've got to say, this look on you is amazing.” 

“Oh, you’re too sweet, Chels," she offered a small smile as the blonde sat up with a wide smile.

“So,” she wiggled her eyebrows. “How are you finding it here, so far?” 

The blush that rose on Tobin’s face was all Chelsea needed. 

“Get it, girl! This is your time.” 

“What about you?” 

“Oh man. When I look at Elijah,” the face Chelsea made had Tobin cracking up. 

“Well I guess that was enough of an answer.” 

The rest of the girls came over to them once all the boys went to get drinks. It sort of reminded Tobin of the first day of the show. 

“Alright, girls. Who has their eyes on who?” Hope was the first to speak. 

“I mean,” Priya started with a side eye glance towards the boys. “Felix seems proper fun.” 

Hope didn’t look too pleased with the older girl but stayed silent. 

“I was just saying to Tobin that Elijah is such a dish,” Chelsea giggled into her hand, and Tobin shrugged. 

“He seems alright-” 

“Alright?” The blonde looked shocked. “He’s totally lush.” 

“Have a little respect, hun. Image if we heard one of the guys talking about us like that,” Hope frowned at the bubbly girl. 

“Oh... that’s true. But I still think he’s gorgeous.” 

“I’m into Kassam’s vibe,” Lottie smirked to herself, and Tobin looked down, frowning. 

_I knew that._

“I agree with Lottie,” all eyes turned to the quiet Irish girl. “I’m not sure what the ‘vibe’ thing means, but I definitely get on with him really well.” 

Lottie sent her a smile and approving nod.

“We’ve got some great taste, babes.” 

Unfortunately, the talk about the new boys turned sideways as Priya brought up what could be happening back in the original villa. 

“Well, since we got six new boys, it’s pretty obvious our guys has brand new six girls.” 

None of them looked happy at the thought, and Tobin sighed. She knew it was true, but they couldn’t do anything about it. They were all here with new guys, so it was only fair for there to be new girls.

“It’s so weird to think about it isn’t it?” 

_No, not exactly._

“Weird and worrying.” 

“Can we not talk about please?” Tobin spoke up finally. “I mean, it is quite obvious there are new girls. But that doesn’t mean anything. This comes down to trust. So you either trust the guys or don’t.” 

_Sweet and short, that’s all that is needed. Some of them should take notes._

“We can’t exactly predict the future, guys, so if we just focus on the new guys and enjoy ourselves, it won’t be too bad!” Hope smiled at all of them, and everyone agreed. “Come on, girls.” 

* * * 

Tobin and Lottie were sat by themselves, watching everyone socialize. It was something they always did with Bobby and Gary. They would imitate everyone else, making impressions, but they kept it nice. However, with it just being those two and not being around the king of impressions, they decided to hold off until they were back in the other villa. But that didn’t stop Lottie from asking where Tobin’s head was at because no one ever knew what went on with the quiet Irish. 

“Alright, now that we’re away from everyone, tell me,” Lottie held her gaze. “You said Kassam has caught your eye, but is that just it?” 

With a heavy breath, she looked down at the water bottle in her hands.

“I don’t know. I know I feel something, but I don’t know what it is,” her eyes lifted to Lottie’s. “I’m scared to know what it is, and what it could possibly lead to.” 

“It’s okay to be scared. It’s always going to be scary,” Lottie leaned over to the petite girl and wrapped her in a hug. 

_She doesn’t know._

Regardless, Tobin hugged her back.

“I know, Lola. I’ll be okay.” 

As they pulled away, Carl had walked over to them. 

“Hey there, girls,” he looked at Lottie. 

“What?” 

“I actually wanted to have a little chat with Tobin...” he trailed off awkwardly, and Lottie rolled her eyes, huffing. 

“Sure, whatever, I’ll go find Kassam,” she stood up and walked away, giving Tobin a look with her eyebrows raised. 

Carl took Lottie’s seat and rubbed his hands on his thighs nervously. Tobin stayed quiet, waiting for the other Irish to speak. 

“I’ve been wanting to get some alone time with you, Tobin, since we got here. Mind if we have a little chat in private?” Carl looked hopeful as he scooted closer towards her. “We can go hang out on that swing bed, if you’d like?” 

_Oh no._ She slowly began to panic when he got closer, and she pulled her legs back closer to herself. _Speak, Tobin! You look like a fool, just staring at him like a fish._

“I-” She stopped again, straining. _Christ, woman._ _You’re_ _embarrassing_ _yourself._

What little confidence Carl had seemed to be disappearing as she stayed silent, and she felt horrible. She knew she was going to feel worse with what she was about to say. 

“Carl, I like you, I do, in my own little weird way,” she started, looking anywhere but him. 

“But?” 

“But I really only see you as a friend. Nothing more.” 

He let out a harsh breath and nodded, running a hand through his hair.

“So is that a no to the chat?” 

She shook her head and finally looked at him. 

“Well, is there anyone else you want to talk to?” 

She was surprised to hear that. She didn’t expect him to ask that. No guys she has met would have asked her if she was practically interested in talking to someone else right now. 

“Ugh, yeah,” she swallowed, her eyes moving over to Kassam and Lottie who seemed to be laughing at something. She felt her heart constrict at the sight. 

_She did say not to be scared. But would I be ruining her happiness for_ _a_ _possibility_ _at_ _mine?_

His eyes must have followed hers.

“So Kassam then?” Her silence was the only answer she had. 

She couldn’t look at him when he got up from the seat.

“Hey, Kassam!” 

“Yeah?” The deep voice rang out sent butterflies through her stomach. 

“Tobin wanted to chat with you!” She closed her eyes, feeling a bit embarrassed that she had to get someone else to call him over and not her. 

Tobin finally looked up when Kassam had replaced Carl, and he looked at her with expectance. 

“Swinging bed?” 

She nodded and stood up, letting him lead her over for some privacy. Her eyes caught Lottie’s, and the witch sent her a cheeky wink. Tobin blushed and stuck her tongue out at the girl before leaving the sight of everyone else. Kassam jumped onto the bed with some skill then held a hand out to her with a small smirk. 

“Need a hand?” 

She slowly placed her hand in his, and he enclosed his fingers over hers, helping her climb onto the bed beside. He didn’t let go of her hand once she settled down, and she didn’t complain. The tingles she felt from holding his hand intrigued her. 

“I’m glad you wanted to talk,” his eyes looked into hers intensely. “Thanks for saving me from the villa’s witch.” 

Tobin snorted in laughter and shook her head.

“What? Did you think she was going to take a piece of your hair and make a voodoo doll to have something to play with?” The words left her mouth before she could stop them, and he looked at her in amusement. 

“I did not expect that from you.” 

She looked away, smiling shyly.

“Yeah, sorry. My dark humor slips out when I get comfortable around someone,” her eyes widened, and she slapped her other hand over her mouth. 

“So you’re comfortable around me, huh? Good to know,” a satisfied smirk appeared on his lips as he squeezed her hand. 

“Don’t get too big of a head,” she huffed and looked away from him. 

His hand slipped out of hers, and she almost pouted, but when his fingers grazed under her chin and turned her head to look at him, she flushed. 

“I’m glad you asked for me to come over to chat.” 

“Yeah?” She whispered caught in the trap of his blue eyes. 

_My goodness, his eyes couldn’t get any more beautiful._

“Tell me, Tobi, what is it that makes you comfortable around me?” She smiled when he spoke her nickname from back home. 

“I- I don’t know, really. It’s been a while since I've felt this comfortable around someone so quick,” she confessed and twisted her ring on her finger. “Your presence is safe to me. I feel like nothing bad will happen or be said. Like I can be myself.” 

Kassam stayed quiet and let his hand drop from her chin as she spoke. His expression didn’t change, he didn’t look smug about it, and she was happy about it. Maybe that meant he wasn’t one of those pigheaded boys who enjoy girls being vulnerable around them. 

“Say something,” she laughed quietly, licking her lips. “I don’t normally mind silence, but after I say something like that, please don’t leave me hanging.” 

Insecurities leaked out in her voice, and he tilted his head at her. He didn’t speak still, and she suddenly started feeling nervous. Could she have read it wrong so quickly again? 

“I’m glad you feel that way. I-” He was cut off before he could finish his sentence that she was desperately waiting for. 

“Tobin! Come here real quick. We need to chat.” Lottie called from the poolside. 

_No! I don't want to._

Her eyes met Kassam’s and he smiled at her encouragingly, nodding. She sighed and stood up with his help. 

“Maybe I'll speak to you later," she offered a small smile. 

Tobin crashed down on the edge of the pool beside Lottie after Kassam had walked off on his own. 

“So,” Lottie flicked water at her with a playful smile. “It suddenly dawned me that we need to figure out the sleeping arrangements-” 

_Fuck, I forgot about that._ She swallowed hard. 

“-we want the girls to be the deciders on this, not the boys. So do you have any idea who you want to share with?” 

_Kassam._

That was her first thought, and as much as she hated to admit it, she wasn’t surprised. 

“I figured it would be best to share with Kassam,” she twisted the ring on her finger nervously. 

“Hmmm, I was thinking the same thing, but you’re my girl. How do you feel about sharing with an extra?” Lottie grinned at her cheekily. “I’m joking, babes. He’s over by the loungers, so let’s go over there.” 

Tobin’s eyes widened as Lottie jumped up and drug her over to where Kassam sat. 

“Hey, Kassam! Tobin has something she wants to ask you,” Lottie nudged her forward towards him, hardly subtle at all. “Good luck, hun! You’re a lucky boy.” She winked at Kassam before walking off 

She sent the blonde witch a ‘you’re so dead’ look as Kassam looked almost amused but confused as well. 

“What’s up, Tobin?” 

She sat down beside him, trying to figure out a way to ask such an awkward question. 

_I want you in my bed tonight. No! Um... Would you like to cuddle with me in bed tonight? M_ _m no._ She nearly groaned aloud, unsure of what to say. 

“Right, well, this isn’t going to sound any less awkward, so I might as well just come out with it,” she brushed back her wild bangs that was blown around from the gust of wind and swallowed her pride. “As I said earlier, you are who I'm most comfortable with here. So would you like to-” _Good god, this is awkward. “-_ share a bed with me... tonight?” 

By the time she was finished, her voice was a whisper, and she could barely look at him. And what was worse? The look she got sent heart plummeting. 

“I- I'm sorry. I’m spoken for,” his voice was apologetic. “But I know Carl is interested in you, so maybe ask him?” 

She almost laughed. After what she told him with her being comfortable around him and hardly ever feeling that way this soon, he offered up another lad for her to sleep beside. It was hysterical.

Shaking her head, she stood up from her seat.

“No, it’s fine. I’d rather sleep alone actually.” She gave a weak smile and left him sitting there. 

* * *

Tobin was sat on her supposed bed in the bedroom, grumbling to herself. She changed out of her evening clothes into a hoodie and sleeping shorts. Everyone else was getting ready for bed if not already in bed, chatting happily. Hope was with Arjun, Priya with Felix, Marisol with Graham, Chelsea with Elijah, and what was a punch to the gut was Lottie and Kassam. 

Her and Kassam's eyes had met, and she could see the apologetic look, but she brushed it off with a shake of her head. She stood up from the bed, grabbing her pillow, and walked out of the door just as Carl was coming in. He jumped back in surprise and went to speak, but she had already slipped away before he could utter a word. 

_Can I say I'm surprised? No, not really. When she wants something, she goes and gets it._ _Maybe you should try it one day._ She frowned. 

She crawled onto the swinging bed carefully and tossed her pillow down. She got herself comfy in the bed that best she could, but there wasn’t much to get comfortable in on a swinging bed. Her thoughts went back to her boys back in the other villa, Bobby and Gary. She was hoping Gary was being loyal to Lottie as much as she wished Lottie would be to him. And Bobby? She wanted to find the one for him. He deserved it more than anyone. 

Her mind reeled back through the past few weeks of what she went through. For one, she was mostly coupled up with Bobby, and they stuck together through everything until Lucas decided to change things up by picking her. 

What could he possibly be doing now? They were barely coupled up before she was whisked away, so she wouldn’t be upset if he decided to graft on any of the new girls. She didn’t have a right to, especially since she tried it with Kassam. Or attempted to. 

She groaned and put her hands over her face as she was lying on her back. She was surprised she was still here, considering. What was it about her that was so interesting to people out on the outside? 

_I wonder how they’re all doing at home. They’re probably laughing at me for being so closed off despite what they told me._

_-_

Heavy, rough hands were placed on her shoulders in a known comforting hold. 

“Tobi, I'm proud of you for stepping out of your comfort zone for this, and you need it more than you may realize. This could be the chance you need to have after everything that has happened. But don’t wear your heart on your shirt for everyone to see. Hold it close and just listen. Listen to what it says because it will know best.” 

“I’ll try.” 

\- 

_I wish they were here to smack some more sense into me. Maybe then I'll_ _actually be_ _able to stand up and declare what I want. I need it-_

“Tobin?” 

She tensed at the sound of Lottie’s voice, and she heard the quiet hesitance. With a quiet sigh, she removed her hands from her face and lifted her head up to see the tattooed witch standing at the end of the bed. 

“Yeah?” 

“I just wanted to say I'm sorry,” Lottie looked down at her feet. “I didn’t expect him to stick with me when you went to ask him. I figured you two clicked.” 

“It’s fine, Lottie, I’m not mad. He just preferred you,” she offered a crooked smile, sitting up on her elbows.

“But that’s not-” 

Tobin held her hand up to cut off Lottie. “Stop, it’s okay. Just do one thing for me,” her eyes held Lottie’s. “Listen to your heart.” 

Lottie looked lost for words, so she just nodded and turned back into the villa, leaving Tobin to her thoughts again. 

“Maybe you should take your own advice, Tobin.” She grunted and dropped back onto the bed. “Maybe if you listened to your heart, nothing like this would happen... and now you’re talking to yourself.” 

She sighed and rolled over onto her side, staring into the dark Spanish hills. 

_“Fight back the flood_

_One breath of life_

_God, take the earth_

_Forever blind_

_And now the sun will fade_

_And all we are is all we made.”_

The words fell from her voice in a quiet whisper of singing before she closed her eyes with only one thought on her mind. Specifically, one boy. A dark haired, blue eyed mystery. 


	3. Chapter 3

_“Make the most of the rest of your life.”_

_This girl needs a stop button._

Tobin sat in silence with a forced smiled while Chelsea talked her ear off about something Elijah said last night. Of what, she couldn’t say. She lost track because of how tired she was. Despite having a bed to herself, the swinging bed wasn’t the comfiest place to sleep on. While most were together by the pool, her and Chelsea were sitting on the bed. 

“Wait, Tobin, what happened last night?” 

_That took a lot longer than I expected._

“What do you mean?” She swirled her mug around, watching the coffee move. 

“Well, you obviously slept outside, but Lottie went out to check on you then came back in and instead of sleeping with Kassam, she kicked Carl over to him and slept in a bed by herself. Which is weird because-” 

_I’m sorry, what?_

“-I know I'm with Gary now, but I know she has liked him from the start, so-” 

“Wait, Chelsea, hold on a minute and breathe.” 

Chelsea shut her mouth and took a deep breath while Tobin was still going over her words. She wasn’t sure on how to make of what happened. The girl decided not to be in bed with someone who was her ‘type on paper’ as the saying goes. Maybe the girl took her advice, but was it for herself with Gary, or was it for Tobin? 

She rubbed her temples and looked back to the blonde in question. 

“So you’re saying Lottie stayed in a bed by herself last night and not with Kassam?” 

“Exactly,” the blonde nodded. 

_Hm. Maybe there is still a chance._

“But, darling, now that has happened, we should make him regret for not wanting to couple up with you in the first place," the mischievous look in Chelsea’s eyes worried her a bit. 

“And how are we to do that?” 

_Oh, why did I ask that? Me and my big mouth._

The blonde giggled and clapped her hands.

“Obviously we need get him to see what he is missing, duh! Now, if we go up now, I can fix your hair up and do a bit of your makeu-”

“Whoa, wait! If he’s going to ‘see what he’s missing’ shouldn’t I look the same? Like not change my appearance much?” Tobin was freaked out at the thought of someone touching her hair and doing who knows what to her face. 

“Well,” Chelsea frowned. “I guess that is true. But still! We need a plan.” 

The pale brunette put her face in her hands, groaning. Their conversation was cut short due to a text message, and Tobin couldn’t have been happier. 

“Guys, I got a text!” She shouted out, and her eyes widened when all of them came charging over. 

Clearing her throat, she read off the text: 

**_Islanders,_ ** **_prepare for the competition to heat up as you go head to head_ ** **_with the other villa in a series of_ ** **_mini-challenges_ ** **_._ **

**_The winners will be treated to a cocktail party this evening._ **

**_#_** ** _turninguptheheat_ ** **_#_** ** _allvillanofiller_ ** **_#villavsvilla_ **

Chelsea’s eyes met Tobin’s and sent a smirk. The bubbly blonde leaned over to her and whispered in her ear. 

“Use this to show him what he’s missing,” she leaned back and winked at her. 

Tobin looked around until her eyes met Kassam’s, and he raised his eyebrows at her. He still had not come up and spoke to her this morning. She pursed her lips and looked back to Chelsea, giving her a nod. The blonde smiled and hopped up. 

“We’re gonna win this! I want my cocktail!” 

_Show him what he’s missing. Be confident and bold._ _Something_ _totally_ _easy._ Tobin downed the rest of her coffee. _Right, easy. I’m going to be shitting myself._

* * * 

All of the islanders found themselves in the lawn with Tobin comfy in a bean bag, waiting for the beginning of the challenge. 

“This is doing my head in!” Lottie whined. 

“I wonder what we’ll have to do?” Hope looked thoughtful. 

“I really hope this isn’t something like making a cocktail using only our mouths,” Carl grimaced. 

_You and me both, mate._

“That would be so grim,” Hope agreed. 

“I’d do it if that’s what got out villa the party,” Marisol smirked at Graham only for him to jump at the sound of his phone beeping. 

“Oh, I have a text!” He read it over before grinning. “The shortest girl must kiss the tallest boy. Go!” 

“Tallest boy right here!” Felix shot a cheeky grin over to Tobin, and she rolled her eyes. 

“Are you joking? It’s Graham, mate!” Elijah came to her rescue. 

Considering her and Marisol were the same height, it was between the two, but she knew Marisol had a thing for the sailor man, so she sunk deeper into her bean bag. The law student jumped on the red-bearded man and the two locked lips for quite a bit. 

“Is Noah the tallest boy in the other villa?” Hope looked worried, and Tobin rolled her eyes, checking her nails. 

Priya must have saw because when she felt a kick to her foot and looked up, the real estate agent was smirking at her. Tobin shot her friendly wink as another phone sounded. 

“I have the next challenge,” Elijah started with a smirk. “The first islanders to have a kiss underwater. Go!” 

Chelsea didn’t give anyone a chance as she grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the water with her. Tobin had to give it to her; that was the quickest she has ever seen that girl move, and she was one of the most hyperactive people she has ever met. 

The next challenge was for the oldest girl had to do five different sex positions with the youngest boy. Which meant Priya got to have fun with Felix, and she left him gasping for air. 

“Oh, I have a text!” Chelsea’s voice rang out. “Kassam, you have to give a girl a lap dance.” 

Tobin watched as his face went pale, and she snickered quietly to herself, but her laugh seized as she heard Chelsea’s next words. 

“I say you should give Tobin some action. She hasn’t exactly done anything just yet,” the blonde smirked, and from what she could see, Lottie wasn’t too happy about it. 

_Oh fuck me._

Kassam’s blue gaze met hers, and she shrugged her shoulders at him. He stood up slowly and walked over to her. His tall figure blocked the sun from her, and she swallowed hard as he turned and lowered himself down, starting to sway his hips. 

“Oh this is the worst,” he grumbled. 

“Excuse me?!” Tobin huffed. 

“Not you!” 

_Hmph, watch yourself, boy._

His arms that were holding himself up began to shake as he was grinding above her lap, and she was beginning to find it quite amusing to see him all flustered from not even touching her. Eventually, he stopped and walked back to his seat quickly, blushing hard. 

“That never happened.” 

“I mean, it’s not like a million people are watching this show, right?” Her eyes caught his, and she sent him a cheeky smirk. 

He scowled at her, and she shrugged her shoulders innocently as Carl got the next challenge. 

“Oh fun. I get to kiss a girl for thirty seconds,” he grinned, and she found herself looking anywhere but at him. 

Hope eventually volunteered to her not-so-much surprise, and the two kissed for thirty seconds. Tobin couldn’t imagine kissing someone you just met for that long. It would be awkward, way to awkward. At least, on the lips. Sure, a make out is nice, but no one stays on the lips for that long, do they? At least, she never did. 

Arjun’s phone beeped as Hope and Carl pulled apart. 

“Oh, I wanted something fun,” he frowned. “I have to give someone a piggyback ride around the yard.” 

Chelsea volunteered, and the two took off. It looked quite fun until he made a bit of a sharp turn and threw the girl into the pool. Tobin chuckled and shook her head. As they both sat back down, her phone beeped in her hand, and she had to read it over a few times to make sure she read it right. 

_I_ _have to_ _make one of these boys_ _blush?_ _Me? One of the most awkward girls here? They did this on purpose._ She huffed and stood up from her bean bag. _I want my lawyer._

“Guys, I got the next challenge. I’m supposed to make one of the boys blush as quick as I can,” Tobin looked straight at Kassam as Chelsea’s words came back to her. 

_“Make him see what he’s missing.”_

She smirked as she watched his eyes widen when she made her way over to him, and Chelsea squealed. 

_Okay, I_ _got this._ _It’s not like a millions of people_ _are_ _watching_ _me_ _tease a hot boy until he’s blushing_ _red l_ _ike a tomato._

She leaned forward, making sure push her breasts up together to give him a slight show, and ran her hands up his arms. Her fingers moved along his arms softly while she leaned her head closer to his before she moved down. Her lips grazed his neck, and she moved up his neck to his ear, sucking his earlobe in between her teeth, with her hands pressed on his chest. She felt his chest vibrate against her hands in what she guessed was a silent moan. She pulled away from him as the islanders were cheering, and she saw he was a deep shade of red. 

Tobin, blushing as red as him, stepped away from him back towards her bean bag and winked, sitting down. Kassam’s eyes never left hers and they held a look of desire that sent fire through her core. She bit her lip, crossing one leg over the other, and he held a knowing smirk, not letting his eyes leave hers. 

“-everyone has to suck someone’s toe,” Hope’s voice brought her out of their trance, and Tobin groaned. 

_Bobby will be loving this._

She stood up and grabbed Chelsea, but the blonde tutted with a smile and pushed her back towards Kassam. 

_Dammit, Chels!_

“I had a feeling you’d choose me," Kassam smirked at her as he didn’t get up from his spot. 

“I’d much rather not have anyone’s toe in my mouth, but whatever.” 

She moved over to him to position herself so she could grab his foot and he could get hers by holding her leg up towards him. With a deep breath, holding his foot up a bit, she leaned down and carefully bit his big toe, making sure not touch his toe with her lips or tongue, and he seemed to have the same idea. She quickly let go as he did and scooted back up in a sitting position. 

“Oh my god, that was horrid,” she shuddered. “I can only imagine how much Bobby would be loving this.” 

“Remind me, if I ever meet him, don’t let my toes go near him," Kassam chuckled and sat up with her as well. 

She snorted and shook her head, flicking his arm. Her phone made a noise again, and she picked it up to read. 

**_Islanders, your final challenge is_** ** _S_** ** _eventh_** ** _H_** ** _eaven_ ** **_! One girl will pick one boy to go spend time in the Casa cupboard._ ** **_The two of you must stay inside for as long as it takes the other islanders to complete 7 pushups, 7 star jumps, and 7 burpees._ **

“Ugh, I hate exercise! I want to take the-” Chelsea stopped with wide eyes before smiling. “I’m kidding. I don’t mind it this time.” She winked at Tobin. 

_Jesus, she’s really trying it for me here._ She licked her lips and glanced at Kassam beside her. _Fuck it._

She stood up and pulled him up with her by his arm. “We’ll go,” she didn’t give a chance to speak before she tugged him with her until they climbed into the cupboard. 

It was insanely dark and somewhat cramped. Not as nice as she expected it to be, but whatever works, works. 

“This isn’t as sexy as it is made out to be...” Kassam’s voice broke the silence, and she snickered. 

“You’re not wrong. It would be nice to have some light,” she agreed. 

_It’s now or never._

Tobin carefully reached her hands forward until she grazed his neck. She slowly moved her hands up, tracing his strong jawline with her thumbs, and coaxed him closer to her. She felt his hands move and hold onto her waist as their lips met. His grip tightened as her fingers moved to the back of his neck, tangling in the small height of hair on the back his head, while their lips moved together.

Her own head was starting to spin from the kiss, so she had to pull away but kept her hands where they were. She stared at him through the darkness, playing with the ends up of his hair, unsure of what to say. But that kiss? It was amazing, to her. She didn’t want to stop the kiss, but the intensity behind was getting to her, and she also knew that she was going to kiss him again sometime later. 

“That was...” Kassam begin with a quiet voice. 

“I know.” 

The two chuckled together before he pulled her closing to him, giving her a sweet, short kiss on the lips. She hummed in joy, happy to return the kiss. They both smiled into the kiss before pulling away. 

“I have a question,” she loved the sound of his voice as he spoke. “What do you think is the saddest word in English?” 

“Almost.” She didn’t hesitate. 

“Why?” 

Tobin closed her eyes and dipped her head down. He lifted a hand up, placing a finger under her chin, and gently lifted her head back up. Despite the darkness, she could faintly see his soft expression. 

“I was _almost_ good enough. He was _almost_ in love with me. She _almost_ survived. We _almost_ made it,” she began with a strain. “But _almost_ is ever enough.” 

Kassam stayed silent before he wrapped his arms around her, tugging her into a hug. She melted into the hug, winding her arms tighter around his neck. She didn’t realize it, but she needed this hug and from someone like him. Someone she didn’t fully know, and he didn’t sympathize or say anything. 

The door swung open, surprising them both, and they jumped away in shock. Priya looked at them with a pout. 

“Awe, they’re only talking.” 

Tobin stuck her tongue out at the tall girl and climbed out with Kassam following her. 

“Oh well, the challenge is over." 

“I hope we win,” Lottie grinned at all the islanders. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” 

* * * 

The drummer sat alone with her feet submerged in the pool, a cocktail in her hand. She didn’t normally drink, but at this time, she needed it. She couldn’t believe she said what did to Kassam in the cupboards. She let her vulnerability come out, and now she couldn’t take it back if she wanted to. He could easily use it against her, and she wasn’t ready for something like that to happen again. Not after the last time. 

_What if he doesn’t though? What if he is genuine? What if, what if, what if._

She sighed and looked down at the liquid in the plastic glass in her hand. She kicked her feet, splashing water around. Her head was hurting from all the possibilities. 

“Hey.” 

For once, she didn’t jump. Instead, she looked up to the intense electric blue eyes that she was learning to love to stare into. Without saying anything, she patted the spot beside her. He took of his shoes and lowered himself down, slipping his feet in the water beside her. 

Neither spoke, just enjoyed the silence and each other’s company. His hand moved over and sat atop of hers. She didn’t look at him as she spoke: 

“Thank you, Kassam, for understanding.” 

He squeezed her hand in response, keeping his eyes forward as well, but the gesture was sweet enough for her. 

“I just want to say, about last night, I’m sorry,” Kassam started and finally turned his head to look at her. “I would have stayed with you, really, but Lottie had already asked, and I didn’t want to kick her off to the side. It would have been unfair.” 

Tobin turned her head and met his eyes with a small smile. “Don’t be sorry, I completely understand. It would have made you look a bit like a prick.” 

“Well, that being said, I got booted aside anyways, and,” he hesitated, looking around nervously. 

She raised an eyebrow at him in amusement and stayed silent to let him continue. 

“What if I slept in the same bed with you tonight?” 

Tobin brought a finger up to her chin as if she was pondering over the question, leaving him guessing for a few moments of painful silence, and looked away from him. 

“I mean,” she looked back to him, and she almost busted out laughing from his facial expression. “I guess you can join me.” 

He let out a breath of relief and shot a smile at her that sent butterflies in her stomach. “You were enjoying that, weren’t you?” 

“Of course, I was,” she smiled at him. “You can’t blame me.” 

He rolled his eyes at her before a mischievous grin stretched across his lips. She eyed him suspiciously, slowly inching away from him. His eyes darted towards the pool, and that was all the hint she needed to know what he was about to do. 

Kassam didn’t let her get too far out of her sitting position before he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her. He pushed them both into the pool, and she screamed in surprise that was cut off from the water before they sank to the bottom of the pool. She pushed away from him and swam up to the surface, breaking it, and glared at him as he popped up beside her. 

“You dick! I might as well kick you out to the swinging bed tonight now,” Tobin glowered with her arms crossed over her chest 

He chuckled and waded over to her until he was right in front of her, looking down to her. His hair was wet and pressed down on his forehead, and as much as she tried to be mad, the way he looked with the water droplets had her weak in the knees. He must have knew the effect he was having on her as he grinned knowingly. 

“You don’t want to do that, now do you?” He pushed some her wet hair out of her face to behind her ear and kept his hand there on her cheek. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she swallowed and looked away. 

“No?” He leaned down and pressed his lip behind her ear ever so gently. “Now, I think that’s a lie.” 

The way his warm breath and lips felt against her ear had her closing her eyes and holding in a moan that threatened to sound out. She shook her head slightly and opened her eyes to see he had pulled back just a bit to look her in the eyes. 

She was under his spell again, but she pushed through. “You’re going to have to show me I was lying.” 

He smirked at her and leaned in to meet her lips. The kiss was slow and sensual, and he grabbed her hips with the other hand, tugging her closer. Her hands sat on his chest as their lips moved together. Much to her disappoint, the kiss ended too quickly, and she wanted to whine. 

“Is that good enough?” 

_Fuck me, his voice is hot._

She met his eyes and smiled at him, giving him her answer by leaning up and pressing another kiss to his lips. 

It was beginning to look up again for her.


	4. Chapter 4

_“You can’t fight the war we made.”_

The sky was a beautiful pink/orange color as the sun began to paint the horizon with no clouds in sight to block the view from Tobin as she sat at the firepit. She was curled up into a ball with her knees up on the bench and curled to her chest, a blanket laid over top of her, and her hood pulled up over her head. She held a cup of tea, warming her hands. As it was rather early, the Spanish heat wasn’t much with a nice, cool breeze. 

Her mind was at ease for the first time she since she arrived in the villa. Maybe it was the nice view she had this morning, how peaceful and quiet it was, or there was the chance of being able to sleep with a guy she actually seemed to fancy. It didn’t feel awkward at all to her. They had cuddled most of the night, getting a few sneaky kisses in here and there, but the slept overall was great. 

With a soft sigh, she leaned her head down on the back of the bench. Being the third day there in Casa Amor, she wasn’t sure when they were going to head back to the main villa, but she knew for a fact that if things kept going the way they were, Kassam was going to come back with her. A goofy smile graced her lips at the thought, having finally found someone who understood her. 

“Tea, Tobin?” Lottie sat down beside her on the bench out of nowhere. 

“Oh-” she jumped in surprise, blinking, before she shook her head. “No thanks. I got my own.” 

“It was getting lonely, being the only one awake, when I realized you weren’t in bed,” Lottie placed the extra cup aside, nodding.

Tobin stayed silent with a quirked eyebrow to see where she was going with this. 

“Did something happen and you weren’t comfortable or something?” 

_Ah, there it is. I love her to death, but she’s too nosy for her own good sometimes._ Tobin sent her a smile and shook her head. 

“Nope. I’m just an early riser, you know that.” 

“Right, well I wanted to read your tea leaves,” the villa’s witch leant forward, grinning. “Tarot is normally my go-to, but they didn’t let me bring my cards, so this is the next best thing.” 

Chuckling, she nodded and began to down the rest of her tea. Once she was done, she handed the cup over to Lottie and let her do her thing, swirling and flipping the cup in the way she was shown before. 

“Alright, let’s see what we got,” the blonde peered into the cup with a thoughtful expression and twirled the cup several times. “Ah... fascinating.” 

“See anything good?” 

“Shh! Don’t interrupt. I want to make sure I get this right,” Lottie didn’t look up from studying the cup. 

Tobin raised her hands up in defense and backed down, smiling in amusement. It was another moment longer until their eyes met. 

“This is some good stuff! Well, some is a little odd,” Lotte frowned, glancing back into the cup again. “But let’s start with the clear stuff. See the bottom of the cup? That represents your future.” 

She looked into the cup where Lottie was pointing to and nodded, eyeballing the leaves to try and make out what it meant. 

“Kinda looks like an anchor,” she commented with a shrug of her shoulders. 

“Correct! The anchor represents some kind of strong relationship. So, in your future, you’ll find someone special, or an existing relationship will blossom further- your anchor,” the blonde explained. “Now, see here on the side of the cup? The side of the cup represents your immediate future. The next few days or weeks. You have a broken line of tea leaves here. Lines usually indicate a journey, or passage of time.” 

The frown Tobin saw put her a bit on edge, and she tightened the blanket around her as Lottie continued. 

“A broken line means a rocky road ahead of you. So expect your near future to not be the smoothest of journeys.” 

_What is that supposed to mean? Could Kassam just be using me?_ Her heart ached at the thought. 

“At the end, you have what looks like two birds,” Lottie pointed to another splotch. “And at the other end, you have a heart. Birds mean some kind of message, either good or bad, and a heart represents a lover.” 

Tobin’s head was beginning to hurt from all this as she was thinking of the worst. 

“So although your immediate future won’t be easy, something good is on its way when it comes to love. Possibly the return of an old lover or rekindling of an old flame.” 

Her heart began to beat rapidly at the thought of her ex coming back into her life. She could feel the color from her face drain, and she looked away from Lottie to hide the panicked look. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 

_He’s gone. Locked up. There’s no way he can get to you._

“Looking here,” she pointed to another spot. “This rim represents the future. You have a heart here, but it is hard to make out. That usually means a flaky lover, and here is what looks like an owl, which is often an ill omen-” 

Tobin looked down at the ground with a frown. Maybe the whole thing she thought she had with Kassam was just a lie. She bit her bottom lip and began to twist the ring on her finger. 

“-looks like Lucas is going to be snakey, babe.” 

Her eyes widened at Lottie’s words. She had completely forgot about Lucas until now, as bad as that sounded. It could easily be Lucas instead of Kassam. The two barely had talked much and only just recently coupled up, so if his head got turned from the new girls, she wouldn’t be upset or surprised. Her head has been completely turned by Kassam, so there was no reason for her to be upset about something like that. 

_You need to learn not to overthink too much._ Her inner voice was snarky. 

_You’re the one that is having me think this way. You are my own mind._

_Yeah, well you’re talking to yourself, so._

She scowled to herself at the childish conversation she was having with in her mind and looked back to Lottie who was still talking. With a heavy sigh, Tobin stood up, making sure the blanket was still wrapped around her. 

“Thanks, Lottie. I appreciate it. But if Lucas wants to get it on with one of the new girls, I don’t mind. We’ve barely been coupled up, and I know you’re not blind to see how I am and feel around a certain boy,” she smiled at the blonde. “Come on, let’s go inside. Everyone else must be up and getting ready now.” 

* * * 

The girls were in the dressing room to get ready for the day, but they had somehow got onto the track of yelling ‘I'm no longer tired’ or something similar to that in hopes to not be tired anymore. It was quite amusing to Tobin, but there was no way it worked like that. She relied on coffee to wake her up. 

“So girls, how are we all feelings about the boys here in Casa Amor?” Hope’s eyes moved across all the girls. “I mean, we know how Marisol feels-” 

“Yeah!” Priya interrupted. “Have you and Graham gotten up to anything?” 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Marisol smirked at the taller girl. 

“Well, yeah. It’s why I asked. Has the ship docked in your port? Has the crab entered the pot? Has his sail swelled under your wind?” 

Tobin stared at the real estate agent with wide eyes. Those were a few of the most interesting innuendos she had ever heard in her life. 

“I don’t think those could have been any less sexier, but then came that last one,” Hope looked disgusted while Marisol was laughing. 

“Please stop, Priya!” She took a second to catch her breath. “If you must know, we may have fooled around a little last night.” 

“That’s what I like to hear!” 

Tobin shook her head and turned away to ignore the conversation. She heard enough stuff from Hope in the other villa when it came to her and Noah, and she’d rather dig herself a hole and jump in it than hear more talk about sex and fooling around. She never understood why people enjoyed boasting about their sex life. It was quite vulgar in her opinion. 

_Don’t act like you wouldn’t mind getting it on with a few of the boys here._

Her cheeks heated up instantly from the thought and grumbled to herself. She couldn’t lie to herself about it. A few of the boys back in the villa were very good looking, and she couldn’t forget Kassam here. 

“Ooo, look Tobin’s cheeks! She must have been getting up to something in here?” Priya was way too excited for this in her opinion. 

“Yeah, how is it with you and Kassam?” Hope grinned. 

All eyes were on her, and she felt her cheeks warming up more from all the attention suddenly. She shook her head with a shy smile. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Oh, come on! You gotta tell us!” 

She was pulling on the top of her black bikini when she stopped and looked at them with raised eyebrows. 

“I don’t _gotta_ tell you anything,” she scoffed and fixed her nose ring, making sure it was straight. 

All of the girls pouted at her, and she rolled her eyes, turning away from the group. She wasn’t about to tell anyone her business if she wanted to. She didn’t have to, and they needed to learn that. But it should be obvious with them after living with her for a few weeks. 

She looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes meeting each other in the mirror. The hazel circle in the middle of her left eye stood out around the pupil while her right eye’s hazel crescent was around the outside of her pupil in the other. The faint freckles around her face were scattered over her nose and across her cheeks, and her lips were pulled in a straight line. They were unique, for sure, but she never really thought of them as beautiful until Kassam mentioned it.

The sound of a phone chiming brought her attention back to the group. 

“I got a text!” Hope started then frowned. “It’s just a video.” 

Tobin stood up and walked over to the group as they all looked at Hope’s phone when she pressed play. 

It started up with Gary and Lucas standing the kitchen. 

“I tell you what, mate. I’d take any of these girls home to my nan!” Gary looked as if he was forcing himself to be happy, and Tobin risked a glanced at Lottie whose expression was hard to read. 

“I know what you mean!” Lucas agreed. “They’re all amazing.” 

The screen changed over to Noah, who surprisingly had a beard, and Jakub in the yard. Noah’s eyes went wide when looking at something or someone off the screen. 

“Wow, she looks just like Hope...” Tobin frowned and looked to Priya who looked a tad hurt. 

_Oh no._

Her eyes went back to the screen as it changed over to Ibrahim lying in a lounger with some other girl who had red curly hair. 

“You look incredible,” Ibrahim smirked at the girl. 

“Only incredible?” An Irish accent came from the red head. “Come on, Rahim. I know you’ve got a better line than that.” 

Tobin scoffed and shook her head. If that girl had been watching the show, it should be obvious he wasn’t the best with lines. 

“What do you think I should say then?” The golfer frowned. 

“Something like ‘you’re so irresistible in that outfit,” red head smirked. 

“You think that’s true, do you?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe show me...” the two leaned in, and right before their lips met, the screen changed. 

Lucas sat there in the lawn while kissing some girl rather passionately who looked much tanner and prettier than Tobin, at least in her mind and eyes. The girl’s hair was long and voluminous, and her body was killer compared to pale girl herself. 

“That’s it, son! Come on!” Gary shouted out. “That’s ten seconds.” 

_Must have been the challenge._

“They seem to be enjoying this,” Jakub commented. 

“You’re one to talk, mate,” Gary said, frowning at the taller blonde. 

The clip changed again to Gary and Noah in the kitchen now. 

“I tell you what. Doing bits on the first night,” Noah frowned, shaking his head. “It changes everything.” 

“No doubt.” 

And the screen went black. No one said anything, and Tobin was afraid someone was about to kick off, specifically Hope. But she was wrong. Chelsea was the first, and her face was moved into fury. 

“What the hell, Gary!” Chelsea stomped her foot. “Which one of those girls are you taking to your nan?!” 

“Don’t worry about that, Chelsea. Gary was hardly in it,” Marisol tried to calm her down. 

“Who was that weather reporter with Ibrahim?” Lottie scowled 

“Was it me, or did Noah have a breakup beard?” Priya looked shock 

“I noticed that too!” Marisol agreed. 

“Play it again!” Chelsea cut back in with a frown.

“Ugh, what?” Marisol looked at the angry blonde. 

“I need to see it again!” 

Tobin frowned and shook her head, finally pitching in.

“Let’s not, please.” 

All eyes turned to her, and she saw sympathy. But why? 

“Oh, Tobin, I forgot! You’re coupled up with Lucas right now. I’m sorry you had to see him snogging some girl,” Priya and Lottie both held the same ‘sorry’ look. 

“What?” Tobin made a face and stood up from her seat. “It’s like you guys don’t know how close we really aren’t." With a sigh, she shook her head again. “Whatever, you guys do what you want. I’m going outside.” 

_Are they really that dense?_

* * * 

Kassam had found her on her own, something that wasn’t new for her, on the swinging bed again. She was lying on her back with her shades over her eyes, making it hard to tell if her eyes were open or not. Currently she had them open for the time being and watched him walk up to her. To her, he looked a bit unsure if he wanted to sit down or say something her. 

“You can sit down, you know?” She startled him with her talking. “I won’t bite.” 

Sitting down beside her, he chuckled.

“I’m not so sure I believe you," he leaned back and was now lying beside her. “You’re full of surprises, and I have no doubt you’re storing up certain ones to show us at specific times.” 

“Wow, look at you being all psychological,” she snorted and turned her head to him, and he sent her a rare wide smile that sent butterflies into her stomach. 

Rolling over onto her side, she pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head to look him in the eyes. 

“So what did you want?” _Wow, rude much, Tobin?_

“Am I not allowed to come and keep you company?” He asked her, not appearing bothered by her tone at all, but she could tell he wanted to say more, so she gave him a flat look. “Alright, fine. We got the video that happened back in the other villa as well, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” 

A smile lifted on her lips at his sincerity.

“I’m okay, I promise," she reached over and ruffled his hair. “Thank you for being concerned about my well-being.” 

“Someone needs to here.” 

Those words hung in the air as he held her eyes. She wasn’t sure what to say, so she just kept her mouth shut and rolled closer to him. His arm moved under her neck, rubbing her shoulder gently with his fingers, and she laid her head down against his shoulder, embracing the comfortable silence. 

There wasn’t often a time when Tobin found herself in a comfortable silence around anyone. She loved it, but the others did not. It would be too intense for them. Her ex wasn’t a fan of the silence she always held, and it made her wonder why he ever stayed as long as he did. 

_And why he did what he did._ The nasty voice sneered in the back of her mind. 

She closed her eyes, sighing. The past never left, not for her. It was always there, creeping in the shadows, ready to jump out in her vulnerable times. 

Pushing the thoughts and memories back behind the sealed door in her mind, Tobin opened her eyes and turned her head to look up to his face. 

“So,” she started, and he glanced down at her. “You obviously know me from what you’ve seen on the show, but I don’t know much about you other than your DJing and that you grew up in Newcastle.” 

“Well, what else would you like to know?” 

“Are you close with your family?” She asked as she started to trace over the tattoos on his other arm. 

He was quiet for a moment.

“I am. I’m really close with my sister and mom. They knew of my love for music since I was young, and they never put me down for it.” 

A smile graced her lips as he talked about his family. She could see the pride in his eyes, and it made her happy for him. 

“Have you ever made a tape for them? Or song?” 

His shoulder vibrated against her head as he laughed at her question.

“I’m not gonna lie. I did-” 

She sat up suddenly and looked at him 

“You really did? Oh, that’s cute!” She pinched his cheek. 

“Quit it,” he waved her hand away from his face and tugged her back down against him. “As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I did make a song, but I was barely in secondary by then.” 

“That’s sweet of you,” she smiled up at him. 

He chuckled and wrapped her up against his body with his arms. She threw her leg over his waist carefully and placed her head against his chest before speaking again.

“I know you said your name was French, and I've been meaning ask, can you speak it?” Tobin looked at him with an eyebrow quirked. 

“Je m’appelle Kassam,” he grinned at her. “And that’s all I got. Other than bonjour, oui oui, and au revoir.” 

“Bonjour, je m’appelle Tobin,” she started and sat up a bit to look at him with a crooked smile. “J'aime être avec toi parce que tu me fais me sentir en sécurité.” 

He blinked at her as she spoke French fluently to him, and he leaned up on his elbows. “That was the hottest thing I've ever heard.” 

His confession made heat rise up on the back of her neck, but she brushed it off. 

“What did you say?” He asked curiously

She hummed and leaned forward to press a short kiss to his jaw before slowly trailing her lips up to his ear: “Maybe I'll tell you later.” 

He shivered underneath her as she pulled away from him with a smirk. Her eyes met his, and the electric blue color held her in a daze from the intensity it possessed. His hand reached up and cupped her face, rubbing his thumb along her cheek in a gentle caress. She leaned her head into his hand, relaxing to his touch. 

“You’re something special, Tobi.” 

A smile instantly lifted on her lips at the nickname. 

“You know, you’re the only other person to call me that other than my best friend at home,” her mind instantly went back to the tall, burly redhead who had been by her side since the two were knee high kids. 

“Really now?” He looked at her in interest. “What’s their name?” 

“Callum,” she smiled, looking down. “He’s been around since we were about five years old, I believe.” 

“Oh? How did you meet?” He encouraged her, moving them around so they were now lying on their sides facing each other. 

Tobin opened her mouth to speak, but she could feel herself closing off again, unsure if she wanted to get into that conversation just yet. This was the only second time she has mentioned the name of her best friend back home, and she first spoke about him to Bobby after he happened to walk out on her on the roof terrace during one of her low times. 

She had forgotten to take one of her pills that morning, and one look at the friendship between Priya and Bobby had reminded her of hers back home. The day, thankfully, wasn’t a challenge day, so she was able to keep to herself most of that day, but by the time the sky had gotten dark, all her emotions she held back during the day barreled through and hit her full force. While she was curled up in a blanket she brought up to the terrace, he had walked out on her practically bawling her eyes out. Bobby, being who he was, immediately dropped whatever he was going to do and went to comfort her. 

She wasn’t a fan of opening up to someone she had barely known, but one look from him ripped her open, and she poured herself out to him. From the happy parts of the beginning of her life to the worst parts throughout it all. He never interrupted her, but he held her throughout the whole time. The only thing she hoped for the most was that what she said up there wasn’t recorded and put out on the tv for millions of people to hear her sob story. 

Kassam most of noticed her reluctant look because he gave her soft smile and brushed some of her bangs out of her face, breaking her from her mind. 

“You don’t have to tell me, I get it,” his words were gentle, and she appreciated it. 

“Maybe sometime else,” she couldn’t promise it, but she wasn’t kicking it away just yet. 

She scooted closer to him, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. He held her against his body, and she lied her forehead against his chest, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat. As he lowly running his fingers down her spine and back up, she smiled and pressed a kiss to his chest, humming in content. 

* * * 

“I’m just, like, so over Gary!” Chelsea huffed in anger. 

Tobin chuckled as she floated around the pool on her back, keeping company with the bubbly blonde and Elijah. Chelsea was currently going on about her rage with Gary from the simple line he said. It was a quite comical to her because the two had only been coupled up for a minute, just like Tobin and Lucas. But there may be something more in it to the blonde. 

“Yeah, babe.” 

And Elijah? To her, it looked like he was just trying to get on the blonde’s good side by agreeing with her on everything she said. 

“He thinks he’s all that and can just pie off whoever he pleases,” she continued, kicking her feet in the water. 

“It’s bang out of order, babe,” Elijah agreed, and Chelsea kept going.

“I once had a handbag that had the words ‘Are you worth it?’ written on it, and that’s what Gary and me are like right now. I’m the handbag and Gary is not worth-” 

Tobin ducked underwater, blocking most of the conversation out, and swam to the other side of the pool. She pushed up when her hands touched the wall of the pool and broke to the surface. As she pulled up, she held herself up by the ledge with one hand and used the other push her hair back and wipe the water off her face. 

Opening her eyes, she met Kassam’s from where he sat with Lottie, Graham, and Marisol in some sort of heated conversation. She could feel the heat from his gaze, and she tilted her head at him, shooting him a sly grin. He gave her one right back and a wink before turning back to the conversation just as Chelsea called out her name. Chuckling, she swam back over to the couple on the edge of the pool. 

“I want your take on what Gary’s done,” the blonde looked at her with a smile. “You’re someone who really cares about their friends.” 

Tobin quirked an eyebrow at her and pulled herself out of the pool beside Chelsea, wrapping a towel around her. 

“And what has he done exactly?” 

“His nan comment, babe! It was so disrespectful,” she frowned. “I was so excited when Gary and I coupled up. Do you get me, babe?” 

“I do, babe!” Elijah cut in. 

“Oh,” Chelsea patted his hand. “I was talking to Tobin, babe.” 

“Oh, sorry, babe.” 

_Babe, babe, babe, babe. Jesus_ _Christ_ _._

“Right, Chels, I understand why you’re feeling the way you are, but if you know Gary, you should know he doesn’t say things like that off the back,” Tobin began. “I get you haven’t been around him as much as I have, so what I'm trying to say is that he was just joking around and a tad uncomfortable. Looking at his expression and stance in that moment, he wasn’t his usual easy self. His whole body was tense, and his expression wasn’t as lifted either.” 

Elijah didn’t look too happy with her as she explained what she thought of the situation, but she was being honest. And if she’s wrong, then Gary wasn't who she really thought he was. 

“I thought I'd be able to stay loyal to him,” Chelsea began, looking to Elijah. “But then I got here and there’s...” 

Tobin waved her off to stop her from continuing.

“The point is, that isn’t the Gary we know. But it comes down to you, whether you like him or not. If you don’t, then so be it. Do what you want and think is best for you.” 

“That’s so-” Chelsea struggled for a moment, lost for words. “Wise. Thanks, Tobin.” 

“No problem, hun,”she squeezed her shoulder and stood up. “I’ll see you guys in a bit.” 

Giving the two a wave, she left and headed towards the kitchen. As she passed the group on the loungers, she caught Kassam’s eyes again and sent him a cheeky wink just as Lottie jumped up from her seat and quickly followed behind Tobin as they entered the kitchen. 

“Tobin! I wanted to ask you something,” Lottie leaned sat down on a chair as the pale brunette was searching through the fridge. 

“And what is that?” 

“How are you feeling-” _This again? “_ -I know you said earlier you were fine as you aren’t that close with Lucas and all, but still. I wanted to ask, just to be safe.” 

Sighing, she closed the fridge door and leaned against with her arms crossed over her chest.

“I stand by what I said I earlier, Lottie. I don’t get how you lot seem to be blind to what is going on with me when everyone else seems invested in everything that happens," she grumbled, pursing her lips. 

“Well, I just mean I know it’s been hard for you to get close to someone, and how with what happened with your ex-” Lottie’s eyes widened, and she instantly snapped her mouth close as Tobin’s whole body tensed up. 

“How- how do you know about that?” Her eyes narrowed down at the blonde in front of her as her mind went straight to Bobby. 

_He must have told her! That_ _loose lipped_ _prick._

“Lottie, tell me,” her heart was beating heavily in her chest as she began to feel panic rise within her. 

“I- I-” Lottie stuttered as her face burned from embarrassment. “I just heard it-” 

“From where?!” Tobin pushed herself off the fridge and dropped her arms down with her hands curled up in fists. “Was it Bobby? Did he tell you?” 

The two stood there in the kitchen with the blonde Aussie struggling to explain while the Irish had her lips pulled up into a sneer, a blazing fire of a glare in her eyes. Her anger was pouring out from the feeling of betrayal, and she couldn’t hold it down, no matter how hard she tried. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The French line in this chapter may have been a tad off, so I'm sorry. I've bee taking it for about a year now, but I'm a bit rusty when it comes to placements and verbs. Either way, I hoped you enjoy this chapter! :)


	5. Chapter 5

_“_ _Burn the pages, but you can't erase it.”_

**KASSAM**

“Tobin, listen-” 

“Shut up, Lottie!” The normal soft Irish accent that echoed from the kitchen was laced with harsh anger in an icy tone. “ _You_ of all people should know how much I like my privacy, especially when it comes to something like this.” 

_What_ _is going on_ _?_

Kassam was sitting out by the pool with Graham and Marisol just around the corner from the kitchen where Tobin and Lottie must be. He had been sitting there while Graham was telling some stories of being out in sea when the two left into the kitchen. At first, it seemed fine, but when he started to hear a bit of hostility in what little he could hear, it got him a bit worried. The three glanced at each other before Kassam slowly stood up to go investigate. 

“Mate, are you sure that’s wise?” Graham looked a tad worried. 

“Probably not, but we don’t know what’s happeni-” 

“-he told you this? Every single detail?” Tobin’s voice got louder. 

“No! That’s not what I'm saying,” Lottie tried justifying. 

“Then what the _fuck_ are you trying to say?!” 

All of their eyes widened at the sudden harsh language that came out of Tobin’s mouth. In the time that she was known, she wasn’t one to speak with such words, and she always was quiet. So, what could have happened for her to get so angry? 

Kassam quickly stood up and walked into the kitchen to see what was going on. Tobin stood on one side of the kitchen, her eyes holding such a fire and glare that if they could burn someone, the Aussie would be burnt to a crisp by now. Lottie was on other side looking quite uncomfortable and a tad fearful. 

“Is everything okay here?” He asked cautiously. 

The eyes he was beginning to love to look into turned to him suddenly, and he flinched back in surprise. For a second, her eyes softened, but when Lottie spoke, they hardened back up. 

“Yes, of course. I’m just gonna go,” the Aussie quickly slipped out behind him, and the tense air wasn’t going anywhere, even after she left. 

Licking his lips, he looked back to where Tobin stood, and she looked as if she was going to collapse or have an anxiety attack. Her chest was heaving from the panting breaths as she was seeming to have trouble breathing, her body was trembling, and she was holding her head in her hands. Quickly, he walked over to her and carefully placed his hands on her shoulders. 

“Tobin?” He spoke gently. “Tobi?” 

She shook her head, clutching her hair in her hands tightly, and he could hear the uneven breathing pattern. Without saying anything else, he pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her head in his hand and placing his cheek against the top of her head. She clutched his shirt in her hands, pressing her face into his chest. Her body was trembling against his while she was choking back a sob, and he frowned. He didn’t know what had happened or was said to cause such a panic to arise in her, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good. 

_I wish I could do something._

Standing there, Kassam rubbed her back gently and looked up to see Marisol and Graham peek in. With a small shake of his head, the two gave a knowing look and turned back. He didn’t know how long they had been there in that spot, but she had slowly been able to calm down as she was catching her breath. 

Tobin slowly pulled her head back, wiping under her eyes, then glanced up at him. The mixture of colors shined bright from the tears that were just present, and he could see the vulnerability in them. 

“I’m sorry you had to see me like that,” she spoke quietly, clearing her throat. 

He smiled at her, wiping his thumb across her cheek to catch a stray tear.

“There is no reason to be sorry for how you feel.” 

“I can’t believe sh-” 

“Tobin, relax,” he brushed her hair back. “Whatever it is, it’s not something easy to talk about, or even think about, as I saw. Worry about it after you can calm down, and if you need me there, I will be.” 

Her shoulders sagged in relief, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, tugging him to her again. Chuckling, he hugged her shoulders, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

“Thank you, Kassam” 

* * * 

All of the boys stood outside by the pool while they were waiting for the girls to come down in the last night at Casa Amor. To say Kassam was a bit worried was an understatement. The whole time he was here, his eyes were always on the small Irish beauty that always stuck to herself and not into the drama that was constantly brewing. Her eyes were what stuck out to him the most if it came to looks. The mixture of color was what caught his attention the first time he watched a clip of what he was about to come on to other than the shy smile, but he was also attracted to the Aussie as well. 

When they were first introduced, he said he had a thing for Lottie as well as Tobin, but he agreed to stay with Lottie in her bed. However, after seeing how much it actually affected Tobin, he regretted the decision. He was told that she hadn’t been in a romantic type of couples yet, only just friendship between Bobby and Gary but recently with Lucas before she was brought here. He wanted to try and see where he got with the blonde, but after having more talks with Tobin, he didn’t want to be coupled up with anyone else, and it made him happy when she told him she was comfortable with him after only knowing him for a day. But it didn’t stop his nerves from eating him alive. 

Kassam was always a more quiet type, not a fan of talking to many people about his life, but he preferred to speak through his music. Something he rarely connected with someone else, and when he found that in Tobin, he knew he couldn’t let her slip through his fingers. He had to try this time. 

“Alright, lads, remember, we’re trying to get them to bring us back to the main villa, so make sure to graft your asses off tonight,” Graham spoke proudly as he knew he was already going back with Marisol. 

The plan that was created was horrible, but if it worked, it worked. They had created a banner to help persuade the girls, but after the blue haired crazy boy dropped it, all they had was the small line they came up with. 

“I’m certain Priya is going to take me back!” Felix puffed his chest out. “But I wish Tobin would look at me too...” 

_What?_

Kassam looked at the blue haired boy with an eyebrow quirked, and Felix’s eyes widened in shock as if he realized what he said. 

“I didn’t mean to say that out loud!” 

Kassam rolled his eyes and looked away, crossing his arms over his chest, as he stood off to the side of the group. He wasn’t the biggest fan of the club promoter for many different reasons. 

He looked up at the sound of the girls laughing that were getting close, and he waited eagerly to see what the Irish beauty was wearing. He wasn’t surprised to see her come out last, and to his relief, she looked a bit happier than she was before. Her eyes caught his and sent him a smile, one he returned before raking over her outfit. 

Instead of a dress like the rest of the girls, she was in a pair of cut off shorts that was covered by an oversized Def Leppard t-shirt and thigh high black boots that were laced up in the back. Her hair was thrown back in what looked like a French braid into a high ponytail was his guess. Either way, the rocker look she gave off was hot. 

“Ahoy there, ladies!” Graham caught his attention away from the Irish beauty. 

“You’re all looking fit tonight,” Elijah grinned. 

Arjun scoffed with a shake of his head.

“They look fit every night, mate. I’d say they’re more stunning tonight,” he paused, and Kassam noticed him staring at Tobin. “You look amazing in that outfit, Tobin.” 

She didn’t reply, but just gave him a small smile and a nod, and he smirked to himself at that. 

_That’s right, she’s my girl._

“Isn’t lovely out here tonight? Look at these decorations!” Carl cut in. 

“How can you notice the decorations and not these fine women in front of us?” Felix gasped. 

“But, it’s all part of making them look so lovely. Don’t you get-” 

“Nah, mate,” Felix cut Carl off. 

The girls admired the decorations that were hung around the villa. 

“What a greeting!” Priya exclaimed with a smile. 

“Hey boys,” Marisol smirked in Graham’s direction while Kassam was watching Tobin studying everyone. 

Her eyes were moving from the boys and their clothing to the girls and theirs to hers. With a crooked grin, she met his gaze and walked over to stand beside him. 

“I feel a tad underdressed,” she commented with a chuckle. 

He quirked an eyebrow at her and exaggerated a look over her appearance before meeting her eyes once more. The heeled boots she wore made her stand up taller, but she wasn’t his eye level yet. The boots somewhat reminded him of stripper boots, but they looked amazing on her toned legs. 

“I don’t know what you mean by that, but I certainly am loving this look on you,” he grinned and winked. “Plus, the boots are doing wonders to me.” 

“I just wanted to be a tad bit taller,” she blinked innocently at him. 

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned against him while Graham began to talk again. It was something Kassam began to notice, the sailor always taking charge. 

“Look, girls. Before the night gets too busy, I thought I'd say that me and the lads have been talking, and, well, we’d have liked this to be painted on a banner, but-” 

Tobin glanced at him with her eyebrows raised, but he only shrugged his shoulder with a small grin, squeezing her shoulder. 

“-someone dropped it in the pool earlier,” Graham looked at Felix. “Anyways, all of you are cracking. So, as you girls are the best, you deserve the best.” 

All of the boys but Kassam spread their arms out after the redheaded sailor nodded and spoke together all at once.

“Bring us back to the villa, and let’s be the best together!” 

Tobin began to shake in silent laughter and hid her head into his side while he bit the inside of his cheek to stop his own laughter. It was a strange, pathetic way to get these girls to take one of them back to the villa. To him, it didn’t matter. Sure, he really enjoyed getting to know the Irish beauty in his arms, but he wasn’t going to make a fool out of himself to try and get his point across. He would rather just sit her down and talk it out. If she did take him back with her, then great. He would be extremely happy. But if she didn’t, then it wasn’t meant to be. 

“It would have been so much better on a banner,” Graham muttered into the silence. 

Kassam snorted and shook his head before he turned his attention to Tobin, ignoring everyone else around them. It was their last night here in Casa Amor, and if he was going home tomorrow, he wanted to make the most out of it. 

“Let’s go over to the swinging bed while these animals do who knows what,” he offered. 

She smiled and nodded, pulling out of his arm. Sliding her hand into his and slipping their fingers together, she led him over to the bed and carefully climbed onto it. He let his hand fall from hers as he sat down beside her. 

_Oh man, I'm a lot more nervous than I expecte_ _d._

He licked his lips and looked at her as she sat there in silence. The warm Spanish breeze danced around them and blew her hair around and her bangs out of her face. The small smile that was present on her face brought his own smile out. He went over her whole outfit again, just admiring the beauty that sat beside him. 

“Don’t hate me for saying this, but,” his voice came out a tad gruff as he glanced to her boots. “Those remind me of stripper boots.” 

Her mouth gaped open after his comment, and she looked down to her boots herself. She was quiet for a moment, and he began to worry he might have said the wrong thing before she suddenly started to laugh. 

“Oh my god, I never thought of that!” Her head was thrown back in laughter, and his smile widened at the sight. 

“Don’t get me wrong, they certainly look great on you,” he chuckled with a shrug of his shoulders. 

Kicking a leg up to examine the boot, Tobin snickered.

“I don’t think I could be a stripper. I don’t have the right look-” 

He gave her a look of disbelief. 

“-I mean my boobs,” she motioned to her chest. “Have you seen a stripper with little pancake sized tits? No, I don’t think so.” 

_I don’t see no issue there._

“Boobs are boobs. What’s not to like?” Kassam smirked at her, wiggling his eyebrows, before he fell back on the bed laughing after she shoved his shoulder playfully. 

“Oh, I must have forgotten. You men are animals,” she grumbled with a grin playing at her lips. 

As his laughter seized, he took notice to how she was much more relaxed than before. Her smile wasn’t strained, her eyes weren’t holding a pained look that struck his heart cold, and her body wasn’t tensed up. 

“It’s nice to get this time when we can,” her words came out soft, and he sat up beside her, letting his eyes move across the Spanish hills. “There’s not much time for privacy here, and apparently everyone knows everything here.” 

“This is really the only spot here that has some privacy,” he agreed, but he began to notice her tense up a bit as she must have been getting into her head. “You look amazing tonight, by the way.” 

_She does, she really does._

She turned her attention to him with a small smile.

“You’ve already said that.” 

“Oops?” Kassam grinned at her before he turned serious. “I just wanted to see that smile of yours, and I also didn’t want you to get into your head.” 

His words hung in the air as she stared at him, a conflicted look appearing in her eyes. He wasn’t sure if he should have said that, but he wasn’t going to let her get into a bad mood. If he could, he was going to try and keep her in a happy mood. That, and he wanted to be there for her when she needed it.

“I don’t mean to sound harsh, Tobin, but I've noticed, from the time we’ve spent together here, and what I saw on the tele,” he took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. “I’m not going to pry on why, but I notice it.” 

Her eyes never left his while she gripped his hand tightly, and her silence let him continue. 

“I notice these things. When you’re with the girls, you’re tense and hardly pay attention. When you’re with a guy, you barely make eye contact and always play with this ring,” he lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss on the ring on her pinky finger, holding her eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with being that way. I get it. But you’re not alone anymore, Tobin.” 

Kassam knew what she felt like. He knew what it was like to get into his head and make things that are going great turn into dust, and he would have to just sit and watch it blow away in the wind. He was hardly ever one to talk, get close to anyone, or even try a relationship with a girl he has grown to fancy. In his mind, he was scared. Scared of the “what if’s” and “what could be’s” because of his own insecurities. There was a reason he threw himself into his music. He could focus solely on his career, avoid any means of communication, and let his emotions loose into his beats. But now, sitting here with someone just like him and the look of an angel in his eyes, he’s willing to step out of his comfort zone for her and help her out the best he can while helping himself. 

“If you’ll let me,” he began nervously and took both of her hands in his. “I want to help. Let me help you.” 

“What are you going to be helping me with?” She asked with an accusing tone, her lips pursing. 

“I’m just like you,” he let out a harsh breath. “And as much as I hate to admit it to myself after so long, I'm tired of being alone in this fight-” 

The hard look in her eyes immediately softened, and she reached her hand up to his cheek to cut him off, having to understand where he was coming from.

“-the fight within me against myself,” her words came out soft and were exactly what he felt. 

“Exactly,” he turned his head just a bit to kiss the palm of her hand. “We both need to help each other. Or else, one, or both, of us are going to fall into a dark spiraling path that won’t end.” 

A sad smile lifted on her lips as she brought her hand down into her lap.

“It may be a little too late for me then.” 

The pain in her eyes nearly knocked the breath out of him, but he wasn’t going to back down easy anymore. Not with someone like her. 

“Then I guess I will have to pull you back up.” 

* * * 

Kassam sat on the bed he and Tobin have been sharing these past few days after he had gone and changed into something more comfortable while Graham was on the bed he was staying in. Everyone else was out partying still, but after the conversation with his Irish beauty ended, she was whisked away by Marisol, so he figured he would go and chat with Graham. 

The sailor was the only boy he really got along with in this villa. Mostly because he wasn’t breathing down his neck like Felix, or speaking about electronic devices like Carl, or constantly talking about girl or modeling like Elijah, or the persistence of Arjun. 

“So, tell me, Kassam,” Graham started with an eyebrow raised in question. “Do you think you’ll be taken back to the main villa?” 

_Mate, I hope so._

“I’m hoping so, but if I don’t,” he gave a weak shrug. “It is what it is.” 

“Don’t think Tobin will?” 

He chuckled and leaned back against the bed board.

"It looks like she might, but like I said, I won’t hold nothing against her if she doesn’t. She’s her own person.” 

Graham nodded with a smirk: “If not her, how about that witch chick? Lottie?” 

“Nah,” he laughed with a shake of his head. “She’s all about Gary, and I'm not about to get in the way of someone as big as him. Plus, she’s not exactly my type.” 

His mind instantly went to the small, pale colleen with the most breathtaking eyes and smile. 

“Ah, yes, of course. It’s not the Aussie,” the red head snickered and crossed his arms over his chest. “I know I'm going back with Marisol; she’s told me. I hope you can come back too. As of right now, you’re the only one I get along with most, really.” 

Kassam felt flattered, but he only nodded at the sailor in thanks. Before either could get another word out, the other islanders’ voices sounded louder right before they all came piling into the door. The energy was high with Priya and Chelsea laughing at something loudly, Hope chatting with Lottie about something serious, and Felix was bouncing in his step alongside Elijah and Arjun. His eyes scanned in search of Tobin before he saw her walk in last right behind Marisol, looking a tad uncomfortable with all the energy in the room. When her eyes met his, she smiled and made a beeline for the bed, quickly climbing in beside him. 

“Why is everyone so hyper?” She asked with pursed lips. “It’s crazy.” 

He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her, feeling her erratic heartbeat. She must really be uncomfortable. Normally it wasn’t as crazy in the bedroom. She leaned into his embrace, slinking her arm around his bare back. The warmth of her arm was heating up his back, and being the boy he was, his mind began to race. Swallowing, he placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. 

“Why don’t you go get changed into something more comfortable?” He looked down at her the removed his arm when she nodded. 

As she got up from the bed and left to change, he let out a heavy breath. He needed to calm down before the two went to bed. He didn’t want her to notice his slowly rising hard on. Clearing his throat quietly, he could feel his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. 

_Alright, I need to calm down._

She wasn’t gone much longer before she was climbing back into bed beside him. Her toned legs were shown from the shorts she was wearing, him wanting to run his hands along her legs, and she wore a hoodie with a makeup free face and loose hair. 

_Shit, she isn’t making easy on me, and she doesn’t even know she’s doing it._

“Someone race me!” Priya’s shout shook him out of his thoughts, and he watched her jump on her bed. 

“What?” Hope looked confused. 

“First one to do a lap around the room only using the beds,” Priya looked excited. 

“Oh, me!” Chelsea shot up on the bed with her. 

“Oh no,” Tobin murmured quietly, looking at the two girls with wide eyes. 

He chuckled and stood up from their bed, pulling her arm to get her off the bed.

“Come with me before they break our bed and possibly us.” 

“Gladly,” she easily slid off the bed and followed him up out of the room quietly. 

Kassam led her up to the roof terrace and shut the door behind him, instantly embracing the quiet sounds in the air. He let out a soft breath of relief, and he looked back to her, watching her stare up to the star-scattered sky. With a smile, he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his head down to sit on her shoulder. 

_This isn’t cliché at all._

“I’m starting to think you’ve been sent here to keep me out of trouble,” she hummed. 

“Trouble? What kind of trouble would you be getting into?” He asked. 

“Oh, nothing too serious. I probably would have just stuck out a foot when they jumped on our bed, no biggie,” she glanced at him with innocence, and he snorted in laughter. 

“Well, it’s a shame you caught onto me then,” he grinned at her. “I was hoping to convince you to come out because I just wanted more alone time with you.” 

“Oh?” She turned in his arms with a smirk. “And then what?” 

The fire in her eyes lit his own up as he tightened his grip around her, digging his fingers in her sides. 

_The Spanish air must be out to get me tonight._ He thought while he was unable to speak from the intense look he was given. 

“Would it be the deep desires that play in your mind?” She raked her nails up his arms gently, sending chills down his spine, before they came to a rest at the base of the back of his neck. “The craving, hunger? Ache?” 

_Definitely the air._

His lips parted from a ragged breath, unable to stop himself from pulling her flush against him.

“You have no idea what kind of desires I have.” 

She pulled his head down to close to hers, not breaking their gaze: “No?” 

He shook his head ever so slightly, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but he also wanted to see what else she was going to say. The restraint he had, however, was slowly loosening. 

“Then show me,” and that was all it took for it to snap. 

Kassam wasted no time to smash their lips together in an instant heated kiss. His hands gripped her hips tightly, holding her as close as he could against her, and her arms were wrapped around his neck, tugging him down to her. He had pushed her against the wall gently while her fingers tugged at the hair on the back of his head, bringing out a silent moan in his chest. 

While his tongue ran across her bottom lip before slipping in to clash with hers, he bent down, sliding his hands down her back, feeling across her butt, and down the backside of her thighs, motioning for her to jump a bit. She did as he asked, and he easily picked her up as her legs wrapped around his waist, and he held her up against him. As his breath was running out, he knew he would have to pull back, but he wasn’t done with tasting her yet. He pulled his mouth from hers, and he heard a faint whine of protest, but it was cut off by a moan when his lips attacked her jaw and began to leave a trail of kisses and gentle nips down her neck. 

He wanted to leave his mark, but he held off before her fingers gripped into his hair and pulled his head back up to meet her gaze. 

“Down,” she rasped out. 

He obeyed and let her down despite the disappointment he felt, but it quickly went away when she began to push him down towards the ground. The boner he had twitched as he held back a groan from the thoughts he was getting. He pushed pillows down to make it more comfortable before he laid down and pulled her down with him. 

She climbed on top of him without hesitation, and he ran his hands along her bare legs as she held herself above him on her hands and knees. The hunger for the taste of her lips was unbearable inside him as he put one hand behind her neck and began to pull her head down, but she pulled back against his hand. Instead, one hand ran down his torso with her nails grazing against his skin lightly until it reached the waistband of his shorts. His breath was caught in his throat when she smirked down at him teasingly. Instead of slipping inside his shorts, she went over his shorts and ran her hand across his hard on, bringing out a groan from his chest. 

_Fuck me._

Her eyebrows raised up in amusement before she gripped him through his shorts, and he cursed silently under his breath, tightening his grip on her legs. She wasn’t playing fair to him as he ached for her, every part of her. Without thought, he quickly rolled them over and grabbed her hands, holding them above her head loosely. 

“You’re playing with fire, love,” his voice came out gruff as he held himself above her. 

“I like fire,” she breathed out, batting her eyelashes at him. 

He groaned and leaned down to press his lips to hers again, eager to taste her again, but the knock from the door had them jumping apart like teenagers being caught by their parents. 

“Hello? We’ve been looking for you guys!” Felix’s voice came through the door, and Kassam felt a prick of irritation come through while he frowned. 

_Of everyone, it had to be him._

She looked at him while they both were catching their breath, and she was holding back a smile at his expression. The smile had him smiling, and he shook his head with a chuckle. 

“Felix, if the door is locked, why bother?” Tobin asked. 

“Ugh...” the blue haired boy seemed lost for words from behind the door. “I just wanted to make sure everyone was okay... and alive?” 

“We’ll be down there in a minute,” Kassam grumbled, and they heard Felix give a quiet “okay” and run off. 

With a groan, he ran a hand over his face before looking back to the Irish beauty beside him who was laughing quietly. 

“What’s so funny?” 

“Of all of the people to catch us, I wouldn’t have guessed it was him,” she snickered. 

“What a mood killer,” he whined and laid his head on her shoulder while she began to run her fingers through his hair. 

“I have no doubt there will be more,” she spoke quietly, and he pulled away to look at her. “I enjoyed that way too much to not do it again.” 

“Really?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and grabbed her face to pull her in for another kiss. 

She laughed and gave him a small peck before pulling away, causing him to pout.

“We’ll have more time for that later, I promise.” 

“I can’t wait,” he smiled and pulled her to him by her hips. “I’m holding you to that promise.” 

“And I'm holding you to the promise of not letting me fall any deeper than I have,” she lifted her eyes meet his with a sad smile. “I’m tired of fighting alone.” 

He hugged her close to him and laid his head on top of hers, rubbing his hand down her back gently. 

“You’re not alone anymore, Tobin.” 


	6. Chapter 6

_“_ _I'll be your_ _gravity,_ _you be my oxygen.”_

Rolling over in her spot, Tobin’s eyes blinked open in the darkness of the room that next morning. She groaned quietly, digging her face into her pillow, before she slowly sat up. She rubbed her eyes and glanced around the dark room, moving from bed to bed as the other islanders were asleep, then looked down at Kassam beside her. 

It was strange to her on how close she had gotten to him within these last two days. She wasn’t sure what it was about him, but she felt as if she could trust him with her darkest secret. 

With a soft snort, she shook her head and reached over, running her fingers through his hair. He let out a small sigh, and she watched him peak his eyes open, the electric blue catching her in a trap. He gave her a small, crooked smile and moved closer to her. 

“What are you doing awake?” 

She loved the way his morning voice sounded with such a rough, scratchy tone. 

“I just woke up,” she shrugged her shoulders while he sat up beside her, leaning back against the bed board. 

“How are you feeling, really?” He asked, studying her. 

Yesterday afternoon, she probably would have just laughed and walked away. Lottie had somehow managed to find out about her past, but she was still unsure how. Bobby either told her or managed to overhear the conversation. Either way, she knew something she shouldn’t, and it irked Tobin. 

It got to the point, her anger and anxiety, to where she nearly was having an anxiety attack, but he had kept her at bay with simply holding her. And she was grateful for it. Not only did he help calm her down, he was trying to keep her in a better mood throughout the rest of the day, and by the end of the night, she wasn’t thinking of what happened anymore. 

At the thought of their little escapade last night, her cheeks began to warm up. If Felix hadn’t knocked when he did, she wasn’t sure if they would have gone further. 

“Good,” she whispered and smiled at him. “Really good.” 

_Especially after last night._

Her blush burned brighter, and she turned her head away so he wouldn’t be able to spot it. 

With a deep chuckle, Kassam’s hand gripped her chin gently and turned her face back towards his, and at the sight of her red cheeks, a knowing smirk rose on his lips. 

“Yeah?” His perfect shaped eyebrow rose in interest at her as his smirk widened. “Maybe we could make it better.” 

A breath slipped through her lips as her eyes were trapped by his intense gaze before she swallowed hard and glanced around the sleeping, quiet room. Licking her lips, she met his eyes again with her own smirk playing at her lips. 

“Guess it’s a good thing no one else is an earlier riser.” 

He looked at her in desire before the two slipped out of bed and tip toed out of the room, Tobin quietly giggling to herself. 

Instead of heading to the roof terrace like last night, she brought him downstairs to make herself a cup of coffee before she led the pouting DJ to the bench that overlooked the hills as he began to talk. 

“Y’know, I thought we were gonna be doing something else, something more-.” 

Her eyebrows rose up as she looked at the faint dejected look on Kassam’s face while she lifted her mug up and sipped her coffee. 

“-not that I expect anything of course-” 

His rambling was getting more and more amusing by the second. 

“-and I’m not saying I won’t not like it...” he trailed off once he saw the look on her face and a scowl etched its way across his lips. 

“No, please, continue. I’m enjoying this.” 

With a huff, he crossed his arms over his chest and turned away to look off into the Spanish hills. She snickered and placed her coffee down beside her on the bench they were sitting on. 

“My young grasshopper, you have much to learn about my morning routines,” she scooted over to sit closer to him. 

“Oh? What exactly is this routine?” 

“First, I gotta sit or lay in bed for a good few minutes, as we did, before I can get out. As soon as I get out of bed, coffee is a must. It is an essential. If I do not get any coffee, then I will be grumpy for the rest of the day.” 

Kassam snorted and leaned back against the bench, spreading his arms back across the top. 

“A must as in I must serve it to you?” He questioned with a smirk. 

Tobin tapped her finger on her chin in thought. 

“Well, I do recall you saying something about your name meaning king and you’re looking for your queen, so if that’s the case and I may be a ‘supposed’ queen, shouldn’t I be treated as such? With coffee in bed? Maybe breakfast?” 

He stared at her while she blinked innocently at him. 

“I-” he stopped before he shook his head, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her into his side. “Sometimes I don’t know how to reply to you.” 

With a chuckle, she leaned her head against his shoulder and picked her mug up. 

“I’m gonna take that as a compliment.” 

“You should.” 

* * * 

Standing with her hand covering her mouth, Tobin could not believe what she was seeing. All of the guys had changed into speedos and had bowties around their necks. It was quite a sight to see. Moving along the group, Kassam stuck out in with an awkward look. He was stiff as a board while tugging at the bowtie around his neck with a grimace. She couldn’t stop her eyes from drifting down and admiring the view, and a small blush rose on her cheeks as she got below the waist. 

Pulling back up to his face, she noticed he was looking at her with an eyebrow raised and a smirk, he must have caught her checking him out very openly. He shot her wink, and she rolled her eyes at him but grinned nevertheless as Priya seemed to still be gushing about how they looked. 

“This is the best thing I’ve seen here.” 

“I know what you mean,” Marisol smirked over in Graham’s direction. 

Tobin snorted quietly before her attention was caught by Carl waving his hand at her. Biting her lower lip, she looked back to Kassam who had noticed as well and shrugged his shoulders at her. 

What could Carl possibly want from her? 

Deciding against her better judgement, she decided to go and see what the tall Irish wanted to say. She hardy spent any time with anyone else other than Kassam, so she figured it wouldn’t hurt anything. She already knew she was taking the DJ back with her. 

“I’m very surprised you decided to come over. I was just taking a shot,” Carl grinned down at her. 

She had to admit, he was a good looking guy but a tad too awkward for her taste. She preferred the dark, mysterious types- hence Kassam and a few others in the past. 

“Well,” she sat down in the seat he pulled out. “I’ve only chatted with you a few times.” 

“Ah, yes. You’ve been around Kassam for about the whole time.” 

At the mention of his name, she glanced to his table where Lottie sat across from him. They seemed to be having a good time as he didn’t look too miserable than he normally did, specifically with the blue haired wild child. 

His eyes caught hers and slyly shot her wink with a smirk. She cleared her throat and looked back to Carl, who was staring at her in amusement. She rolled her eyes and twirled the ring on her finger. 

“Just a bit,” she offered a small smile, shrugging her shoulders. 

There was a short pause before Carl spoke back up and stepped away from the table. 

“As your waiter, I am requested to get you breakfast. What would you like to eat?” 

“Fruit please,” she answered after pondering for a moment. 

He walked off to go grab her some fruit, so she took the small moment to herself. 

It was their last day in Casa Amor, and as much as she was trying to enjoy it there, she was ready to head back. She was thankful to have met Kassam. But she just wanted to get back to the place she was more comfortable at. And with that, ask a certain baker if he spilled some beans to a certain villa witch. 

With a frown, she glanced towards the table where the blonde Aussie sat with her DJ. She had yet to go and talk to her, but Tobin was still not in the best state of mind to do so. She was worried she’d either have another panic attack, or something possibly worse, a chance of losing herself in her anger. 

_It’s not like you’re considered a freak anyways._ The sarcastic voice echoed in her head. 

She frowned to herself and put her chin in her hand. It wasn’t often, but, being diagnosed with IED since she was a child, she found herself ready to break stuff or even attack someone. She’s been able to keep her cool around others for years now, but even a small slip up, she could let loose. 

“-some strawberries, grapes, and an apple.” 

Carl’s voice pulled her from her thoughts while he sat her plate down in front of her before sitting down himself with his own. 

She smiled in thanks before picking her fork up to get a few strawberries. 

“Again, I’m surprised you wanted to spend some time with me,” he shrugged with her took a bite out of his toast. 

She raised her eyebrows at him. 

“Would you have rather I chose someone else?” 

“That’s not what I meant! I’m glad you chose me, just-” he waved his hand around. 

“You’re gonna dig a deep hole for yourself if you keep going,” she stated bluntly. 

He shut his mouth with a deep blush on his cheeks, causing her to snicker, and he cleared his throat awkwardly, leaving them in a moment of awkward silence. 

“So, ugh, how is Casa Amor doing for ya?” 

She almost rolled her eyes again. 

“It’s been alright. I’m just ready to head back.” 

“It was good getaway for you girls, to be honest-” he tilted his chin up slightly. 

Carl wasn’t wrong, it was nice for a little bit. But she was ready to head back and see the boys she knew. 

“-plus, you girls seem so different than how you seemed in the villa.” 

Tobin raised her eyebrows in interest. 

“And how did I seem exactly?” 

“Well, and don’t take this the wrong way because everything looks different on the tele, but to me, you just seemed quiet and unwilling to get to know many people,” he started, twirling his thumbs together. “Almost, like you just wanted nothing to do with anyone. A tad rude, standoff-ish, and cold.” 

She pursed her lips but stayed quiet. In the beginning for her, it was hard. She pushed herself out of her comfort zone to get on this show, and once she got there, it was a whole lot different than she anticipated. 

“As the days went by, I noticed that you were coming out of your shell and would chat. Like how you’re close to Lottie, Priya, and Chelsea with the girls. And just Bobby and Gary for the boys.” 

Carl drummed his fingers on the table before pausing to stare at her in interest. 

“But you never got in a romantic couple,” he studied her. “Why exactly is that? You’re one of the most gorgeous girls here, in my opinion.” 

She let out of a humorless chuckle with a shake of her head, leaning back in her seat. 

“Flattery won’t get you nowhere,” she mentioned first. “And to answer the question, it just isn’t easy for me.” 

“It’s not easy for anyone.” 

Tobin scowled and placed her hands on the table. 

“And I’m sure it isn’t. But I mean in a whole different way, for _me_ ,” she raised her hand as he went to open his mouth. “A way you don’t need to worry about. It’s not your business.” 

He didn’t say much after that, nor did she. The breakfast had turned sour for her, but she should have expected it when she asked him what he thought of her before meeting. It all ended with the same judgement. 

* * * 

“You looked like you had so much fun with your breakfast date,” a husky whisper sounded in her ear. “I’m almost jealous.” 

A smile slowly played at her lips, and she turned her head to look into the electric blue eyes right beside her. Kassam had a smirk directed at her and sat down beside her. 

“I’m not so sure you were looking at the same date I was then.” 

He tilted his head in interest. 

“Oh?” 

She shook her head in quiet laughter, running fingers through her hair. 

“It was a tad disastrous,” she hummed and placed her chin in her hand. “And how about yours? You seemed quite interested.” 

“Oh, for sure,” he started with a wiggle of his eyebrows. “I have such a huge thing for tarot, spirits, and all that dark, witchy shit.” 

“Hm, guess I’ll have to step up my game.” 

“Not gonna lie, though, I’m surprised you went and sat with the Irish man.” 

“Huh, I must be surprising everyone today,” she rolled her eyes, picking at her nails.

“Oof, no need for hostility,” he reached over to her and pulled her closer. “But seeing how _wonderful_ it went, I know I don’t have much to worry about, hm?” 

Tobin shot him a devious grin and ran her nail along his jawline, drawing him close, as she watched his own smirk arise. 

“I’m sorry, but are you assuming that you’re gonna be coming back with me?” She rose from her seat, holding his jaw in her hand to tilt his head up, as she stood to keep their eyes locked. “You may just have to worry."

He tried to stand up with her, but she placed her other hand on his shoulder and kept him down. She leaned down a bit to get eye level with him. 

“Ma flamme sombre,” she whispered and pressed a light kiss to the corner of his lips teasingly. 

He reached out to grab her, but she quickly slipped out of his range. She winked at him before quickly making her way inside to pack up. But before she got inside, she heard his groan and shout that had her giggling to herself. 

“What does that mean?! Tobin!” 

* * * 

She stood in the bedroom of the original villa, finally releasing a heavy breath. She missed it here, but the state of the room, how dirty it was, she wasn’t so sure. The new girls that got brought in, they had to have caused this. She knew the boys wouldn’t leave it this messy. 

Marisol and Lottie with her, and the law student was currently holding up what looked like a wet bikini bottom. 

_Ew._

“This is disgusting,” the short girl huffed. 

“Do they not know how to clean up?” Lottie scowled at the piles of dirty clothes. 

Tobin kicked at a pile of what looked like Bobby’s socks. 

“Apparently not.” 

The blonde had gotten on her knees, searching under the beds, before she suddenly gasped. Lottie reached under and quickly jumped up. 

“This is scandalous!” 

“Ugh, Lottie, what are you going on about?” Marisol asked. 

Tobin was curious herself. 

“Look what I found!” 

A pair of briefs, or tighty whiteys technically, and some girl's panties were held up. 

“Um, this is a shared a bedroom,” she muttered. 

“Well, I found these on top of each other,” the villa’s witch smirked. “and who do you think these are?” 

She shook the briefs. 

“Seeing as they look like that,” Tobin started, glancing over them. “I’d say Jakub. Plus, I can see his name.” 

“Oh my...” Marisol began to laugh and shake her head. “I can’t say I’m surprised.” 

Honestly, neither could she. The big man was a tad friendly to every girl. Or tried to be. 

With a small sigh, she got up and went to go look where Lucas was staying. She was being snoopy, but she didn’t care. She wouldn’t be mad if she found something like Lottie just did. The two have only been coupled up for a minute. 

She glanced around, eyeing the ground for anything suspicious looking, before she looked at the nightstand. She frowned, peering down at a bracelet that sat there. It looked familiar, but she couldn’t place where she had seen it before. 

_Interesting._

Reaching down, she picked it up and carefully studied it. The bracelet was a gold chain with what appeared to be a drawing. It was drawn out as an owl with its wings spread wide as if it was coming down. She tried wracking her brain on why it looked so familiar. 

With a heavy sigh of annoyance with nothing coming to mind, she put the bracelet back down on the stand where she found it and went towards the stairs to head down. 

“Tobin?” 

Lottie’s voice stopped her mid-step. She glanced back at the blonde and raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Yeah?” 

“Do you think we could talk? Y’know...” 

She licked her bottom lip and glanced down at her hands, twisting her ring. 

“I’m not ready yet, Lottie,” she looked up to see disappointment. “We can soon, though. I promise.” 

She wasn’t ready, at all. She knew they needed to talk, but she didn’t want their talk to go from civilized to crazy. She needed to prepare herself for it. 

* * * 

A few hours had gone by, and now she found herself in the dressing room, getting ready for the night. It was time for them to either stick with their partner or switch for a new one. She already knew she was switching to Kassam, but for the others, she didn’t know. Other than Marisol. 

_Poor Bobby._

Priya was currently with Noah, but she didn’t see that lasting much longer. Not with how short Hope had him on a leash. And Hope was with buff man, Jakub. She didn’t know anything about him, so she couldn’t say if he would stick or not. Lottie was with Ibrahim, but she figured the two would stick. Chelsea was with Gary. Though, the blonde seemed to have been getting on with Elijah these past few days. 

Glancing around the room, Tobin noticed that most everyone was tense, besides the law student. This coupling thing must have had everyone on edge. But she wasn’t too badly worried. The only thing bugging her was the bracelet still. Everything about it was familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. 

A text rang out that everyone pausing. 

“What was that?” 

“I think it was a phone.” 

Marisol began digging through close before holding out a phone. 

“Got it!” 

**_Girls, please make your way to the firepit for the stick or switch recoupling._ **

All of them looked between each other. Tobin was nervous, she wasn’t going to deny it. 

With a deep breath, she followed all the girls out to the firepit slowly. Standing in front of it was all the boys from Casa. She instantly found Kassam’s eyes, and her whole body relaxed. She let out a deep breath and smiled at him. 

“Looking rather hot there, Tobi,” he winked at her. 

She snorted and glanced down at herself. She decided to wear something little more nicer than she normally did, per request of the producers, for this recoupling. She had on an irregular backless tight black bodycon dress that had a deep V to help show off some of her cleavage and lace up stiletto heels to match. 

“Only for you,” she smirked at him and flicked her straightened her. 

After a text chimed through the quiet night, indicating it was time to choose whether the girls wanted to stick or switch, the recoupling didn’t take too long. All but two of the girls decided to stick with their original couple. Tobin and Marisol were the only ones to switch, Graham beside the law student and Kassam sitting beside her, his hand was holding hers in his lap, playing the ring on her finger. 

Surprisingly, Chelsea decided to stick with Gary despite having a good connection with Elijah. But she wasn’t going to ask. Now they were all waiting for the boys to return, maybe a few new girls in tow. 

“How are you feeling?” Kassam asked quietly in her ear. 

“I’m feeling pretty good,” she shrugged, answering a tad bit honestly. 

She was slightly worried, unsure of what could happen when the boys did walk through. 

“Well, whatever happens,” he squeezed her hand. “I’m glad you picked me.” 

She looked up at him, her eyes catching his, and she smiled. He returned it and leaned down, placing a gentle kiss to her lips. They pulled back as a text rang through the air again. 

**_Girls, it’s time to find out what the boys decided. You’re about to see them enter the villa one by one. If they come back alone, they have stuck with their partner. If they come back_** ** _with a new partner, you will meet a new addition to the villa._ **

**_If your boy chose to switch and you didn’t, you will be single._ **

Silence followed after the text was read before a sound came from the front of the villa. 

“Was that the door?” Lottie asked, fidgeting on her spot. 

Tobin gripped Kassam’s hand tightly while his knee began to bounce on the spot. 

Noah suddenly walked around the corner alone, and she noticed both Priya and Hope seem relieved. Priya suddenly runs over to him. 

“Ladies, we doing alright?” He smiled. 

“You didn’t find anyone fitter than me?” Priya giggled. 

“You didn’t either.” 

_Gag._

Noah put a kiss on her cheek before he walked over to Hope. 

“I’ve... I’ve missed you.” 

Hope frowned and glanced down at her hands before back to him. 

“I missed you too.” 

Tobin looked back to Priya who looked dejected, like a puppy that had just gotten kicked. 

“Whose reunion is this, exactly?” 

Hope scoffed and glared at the tall girl. 

“Can we not have a moment?” 

Tobin’s finger twitched in annoyance, and she went to speak up, but Kassam pulled at her hand, catching her attention. He shook his head, and she sighed but nodded, staying silent. 

Noah sighed and went to go sit down beside Priya, but he stopped when he saw Graham beside Marisol. 

“I can see some of you had a bit of fun.” 

She grimaced and glanced away from the librarian as he went to shake the hands of the two new boys. 

“How’s it going? I’m Noah.” 

“Graham, nice to meet you.” 

“I’m Kassam.” 

Noah glanced between the two new boys before settling on her and Kassam. 

“Seems like there’s going to be a few upsets tonight.” 

_Why is he looking at us two?_

She frowned at the stoic librarian before she was interrupted by the sound of more footsteps. Gary suddenly appeared alone, and she glanced over to Lottie, who seemed really happy. But the happy look disappeared when Chelsea suddenly squealed and ran over, jumping on the big blonde man. 

“You stuck!” 

“Alright, love?” He kissed the bubbly blonde’s cheek. 

Gary looked to Noah, nodding. 

“You’ve done alright, mate?” 

Noah looked around nervous, frowning. 

“Let’s not say too much until we’ve all come out.” 

_What the hell is going on?_

Gary suddenly gestured to Graham and Kassam, smiling invitingly. 

“I see we’ve got new boys to add to the squad, aye?” 

“I’ve been calling it crew, not a squad,” Graham shrugged. 

“Hello, sailor!” The blonde retorted as he looked the red head up and down. “Do you guys think he looks a bit like...” 

“You?” Tobin cut in with a smirk. 

Marisol suddenly frowned and glanced between the two boys. 

“You know, I never thought of that, but...” she sighed and shook her head, blushing. 

She got cut off by a shout from the lawn, and Ibrahim appeared. 

“Hey guys! I’d like you to meet Shannon!” 

A girl with red curly hair came around beside him, and Tobin recognized her form the video they were sent. 

“My name’s Shannon.” 

_Wow, really? It’s not like we were just told._

She leaned back in her seat with a sigh, sparing a look at Lottie. The blonde was staring in shock. She must have expected Ibrahim to stick with her. 

Shannon turned to Lottie and smiled. 

“You must be Lottie. I’ve heard so much about you.” 

“Babe, you haven’t heard anything yet,” Lottie rolled her eyes, picking at her nails, before she turned to the golfer. “We weren’t a couple, but we were coupled up. So I’m not angry. Just disappointed.” 

Tobin felt bad for Ibrahim. It seemed to her that he was happy with his choice. 

“I thought you were someone I could trust to be loyal. I thought we had the same values,” she continued. 

“Babe, we do,” Ibrahim tried to justify.” But I’m not going to put that above a shot at a real relationship. It’s like Violet Man says, ‘sometimes being a hero means taking a risk’.” 

Tobin smiled to herself. Ibrahim was too cute. 

Lottie scoffed and rolled her eyes again. 

“Is that what he would say if the risk meant putting someone else in danger?” 

Lottie went to say more, but Tobin couldn’t hold her tongue. 

“Lottie, stop. You can’t be mad at him for finding someone he likes. Hell, look at me. I chose Kassam over Lucas because I like him more than a simple friendship couple. I understand you’re worried about going home, but it isn’t fair.” 

“It isn’t fair to me either!” Lottie frowned. 

_Christ._

“Well, this is called Love Island, and that’s what we’re here for. It’s a game. And it appears you’re being outplayed right now.” The anger began to course through her veins as she sneered at the blonde. 

Lottie went to say something but she stopped herself. With a shake of her head, the Aussie turned away. Tobin snorted and leaned back against Kassam who was shaking in silent chuckles. 

“I’m liking this spitfire version of you,” he leaned down to whisper in her ear. 

She pinched his thigh playfully and snickered when he yelped. 

“You should be encouraging me to be nicer,” she smiled to herself, keeping her eyes on the lawn as she was waiting for the next. 

“Hm, but where’s the fun in that?” 

A familiar shout sounded form the yard as everyone’s favorite baker came bounding to them. He looked like his usual happy self, and she was glad. But she was a bit sad he didn’t have a girl with him. She was hoping he’d find someone during this time like she had. 

“I hope you girls are ready to get hands-on! Because the man with the fastest fingers in the Villa is back, and he is still single and ready to mingle,” he smiled brightly before it dropped when he glanced at her and Kassam. 

She frowned a bit, unsure of what to make of it. 

“Oh. That’s, ugh,” he stopped, taking a deep breath, and quickly smiled again. 

_What’s wrong with him?_

“I see you met someone, miss dark side,” he wiggled his eyebrows at her, despite his smile not reaching his eyes, and she rolled her eyes at his nickname for her. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Bobby.” 

Kassam shook his hand with a grin. 

“Likewise, I’m Kassam.” 

Bobby turned quickly, still leaving her confused on his reaction. Shouldn’t he be happy for her? 

“There shouldn’t be much left, right?” Kassam asked her. 

Before she could answer, another came running out. Jakub appeared alone, surprisingly. 

“You stuck?” Hope almost sounded surprised as Tobin was. 

Jakub leaned to Hope, who twisted her face, before he kissed her cheek awkwardly. 

“Of course I did, babe. There wasn’t any of those new girls that stood up to you-” 

Someone coughed loudly as Tobin scoffed, blocking her out. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. It sounded like you were saying you had eyes only for Hope.” 

“This is what I’m saying,” Jakub sneered. “Looks like we trusted each other and it’s worked out.” 

“About that,” Hope began. 

“Yeah, about that-” 

_I can only imagine what happened when we weren’t there._

“What is it, Tobin?” 

“Huh?” She looked at Chelsea. 

“You were staring off in the distance. Are you worried that Lucas has come through yet?” 

Glancing at Kassam, she shrugged her shoulders. 

“A little, but not for the reason you may think.” 

Footsteps began to sound off in the distance. 

“Looks like we’re about to get some answers.” 

Tobin looked where they had been coming from, her hand squeezing onto Kassam’s tightly. Lucas appeared, and it looked like he was holding a hand. As soon as the girl came into view, all the breath in her chest suddenly left. 

“Hey guys! It’s so good to see you all again!” Lucas smiled at the group. 

“I’m so excited to meet you all!” The voice sliced through the air in a mocking tone as the amber eyes stared straight into hers. 

Now Tobin remembered why the bracelet looked familiar. The owl was a family crest. The crest belonged to the O’Connor family, the family her ex belonged to. And this was his sister, the one who started it all. 


	7. Chapter 7

_“I can see the devil in her eyes.”_

She couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want to believe it. 

Glancing around, she noticed everyone was staring at her, and Kassam was talking to her, but she wasn’t hearing him. Instead, she was more focused on the nightmare in front of her. 

How was it possible that, of all people, she would be the one to walk through that door with Lucas? It was almost like karma was coming back after Tobin for some strange reason. 

“...Hey, you alright? Tobi? Tobin?” 

The fog in her hearing and vision was finally letting up, and she turned her head to meet Kassam’s concerned eyes. 

“I-I’m fine,” she struggled and turned back to look at the new couple in front of them. “Perfectly fine.” 

No one else said anything after she finally spoke, only just stared at her. The only thing that could be heard was the wind blowing through. Panic had already set in, her heart beating twice as fast, and she was sure Kassam could feel her pulse, but not only was there panic, there was anger. Anger that this girl, who messed her life up before decided to come back, coincidence or not. She knew what she was doing to Tobin. 

With a deep breath to calm her nerves, her eyes moved to meet Blake’s, and she gave her a fake smile before turning to Lucas. He looked a bit sad, guilty even. She didn’t understand why though. She also came back with someone new. 

“I’m happy for you, Lucas. I’m glad you could find someone.” 

“But, you’re not mad about switching?” 

“No,” she chuckled. “Why would I be? We were barely coupled up to begin with.” 

“And you also found someone as well,” he gave her a small smile, to which she nodded in agreement, before he held his hand out to Kassam. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Lucas.” 

The dj shook his hand. 

“You too.” 

“This is Blake, by the way,” the doctor paused, grimacing slightly. “But you know that. I already said that.” 

Before Tobin could do anything, Blake moved towards her and air kissed both of her cheeks. She tensed up and pushed back closer to Kassam, watching her pull away with what seemed like a sweet smile, but Tobin could see behind it. 

“I wish we could’ve met under different circumstances,” the tall brunette frowned. “I would never want to go behind anyone’s back. If it were any other situation, I would have gladly come up and talked to you.” 

The pale Irish had to hold back her eyeroll at the fake sincerity. 

“Wow,” Chelsea suddenly cut in with eyes wide. “That almost sounds like something Tobin would say.” 

She gaped at the blonde in surprise. She would never sound that fake. 

“In fact,” Chelsea continued, eyeing Blake up and down. “You sort of hold yourself up the same way, pose and all. What did you say you did again?” 

“Oh, I’m a singer-songwriter.” 

Tobin gritted her teeth and glanced down at her heels. 

“Huh, you both seem very similar,” Marisol glanced between the two girls that Lucas has now been coupled up with. 

“Isn’t that funny?” Chelsea chuckled. “While you were gone, Lucas went and coupled up with someone just like you, Tobin.” 

It took every bit of strength of Tobin to not let loose of her anger that was brewing heavy inside her. She held her eyes shut tightly with clenched fists, and the rest of the girls, unbeknownst to her, backed away. However, at the sound of a scoff, she opened her eyes and looked up to see a humorous expression on Blake’s face. 

“I can’t say I agree with you, Chelsea. Don’t compare me to Tobin, as I’m not one of those girls who have to try for their looks at the time just for attention.” 

A few gasps sounded, and the cruel smile that formed had dread filling Tobin. 

“Plus, from what I’ve seen and heard that most of you probably haven’t, I’m not the desperate kind where I spill out all my issues to get some sort of... _touch_ _."_

That was all it took for her to snap, and she went to lunge at the tanned girl, but Kassam held her back tightly against her body. She shook in rage. All the anger she held onto from Lottie was pushed around from what Blake decided to stir. 

“You don’t have a right to assume what kind of person I am. Not when you come in here as nothing but a second choice for someone who was in desperate need of a connection.” Tobin’s words sliced through the air, hurling at both Blake and Lucas. “You just had to snake your way in here somehow and why not go for one of the vulnerable ones? I’m surprised you didn’t sink your fangs into Bobby here either.” 

She didn’t have to look to know an offended look was upon the baker’s face, but she was in no mood for sympathy towards someone she didn’t think she could trust at the moment. 

“Oh, sweetheart, I didn’t have to try. He just noticed I was better, and I was nothing but myself,” Blake smirked. 

“At what? Opening your legs?” Tobin sneered. “But I will agree with one thing. We are definitely not alike, in any way. I have more respect for myself than you ever will with yourself.” 

“It didn’t appear that way before.” 

Blake’s words hung in the air. For Tobin, it was a punch in the gut. For everyone else, it was just confusion and only thought of it as something that had happened during her time at the villa. Not out in the real world. One thing she was grateful for was that no one knew the two knew each other. And she hoped that no one would be able to figure it out, especially Bobby or Lottie. 

“If you think you’re better than me, go ahead. I don’t give two shits. I know my worth, despite what may have happened by now. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, nor is everyone mine. So whatever else you might want to say to me to try and offend me, take it and shove it up your ass before I do it myself for you. Because I promise you this, Blake, I’m not who I may seem to be. Not anymore.” 

Before she did anything too hasty, Tobin pulled herself from Kassam’s hold and stalked her way into the villa. There was one thing she knew, and that was if Blake stayed around for the rest of the time, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stay the same. Whether it was from her anger, or if her anxiety would get too much. 

* * * 

“I had a feeling there was more fire in you than you like to show.” 

Gary didn’t take long to find her on the roof terrace. By now, it was obvious that was her favorite spot to spend her spare time at. 

“I don’t like to show it,” she shrugged and played with the ring on her finger. 

“Well, that was the most interesting thing to happen in here, besides the whole showdown that happened with Rocco, Lottie, and Marisol,” he sat down on the opposite side of her. 

“That feels so far away now,” she chuckled quietly and leaned back in her seat. 

“It really does,” Gary pondered before he shrugged. “I’m not going to ask how you feel because I already know what you’re gonna say-” 

She grinned to herself. 

“-but I do want you to know that whatever it is, I'm here for you.” 

“Thanks, Gare. That means a lot,” she met his eyes with a gentle smile. “And I’m sorry you all had to see that. I don’t normally lose my control like that- well, I do, but I’ve been slowly working on it.” 

“I don’t really blame you, to be honest. After what she said, I would have lost it too.” 

“I’m glad I’m not the only one that would do that then,” she laughed before going silent. 

Tobin glanced down at the lawn, watching the rest socialize, but she couldn’t spot Kassam anywhere. She frowned, hoping he was getting along with someone down there after she had stormed off. 

“Tobin, despite of what Blake was saying, I think you’re an incredible girl, faults or not.” 

“Don’t make me blush, Gary.” 

“I would never do such a thing.” 

She rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at him before the two laughed quietly together. She was glad to have the friendship she did with him. She had similar ones with Bobby as well, but right now, she wasn’t too sure she should talk to him, especially after what she said. 

“If you’re ready, why don’t we head back downstairs? I think some of the guys missed you.” 

She scoffed but got up anyways with him. 

“Sure they did,” she grumbled and followed behind Gary downstairs. 

She didn’t make it very far into the yard before Bobby was in front of her and hugging her tightly. She yelped in surprise and tried pulling away. 

“Excuse me! Can I be placed down, please?” 

“No, not yet,” Bobby’s voice was muffled in her neck as he held her tightly. 

She sighed and just stood their like a ragdoll. She adored the baker, but he was a tad too touchy for her liking at times. Eventually, he did pull away with a sad look. 

“Look, Bobb-” 

“No, don’t. It’s okay,” he gave her a small smile. “You were just caught up in the moment, to which I’m sure was controlled by your anger.” 

She hung her head, frowning. 

“I shouldn’t have said it though.” 

“You couldn’t have been more right though,” he stated simply, and she looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. “What? It’s true.” 

“You’re too hard on yourself,” she patted his head. “So, baker boy, there wasn’t any girl that caught your attention?” 

He grimaced and rubbed the back of his head. 

“I mean, there were a few, but I wasn’t sure if they were fully what I wanted.” 

“You know, Bobs, you never truly know what you’re going to want until you have it already. It comes as a surprise to all of us,” she started as she sat down in a beanbag chair. “What you may think you want could actually blow up in your face when you find it in someone. You never know.” 

“Huh,” he rubbed his chin in thought. “You speak some wise words, tiny. Truth be told, I’m not sure what I want, not anymore.” 

“That’s what I was saying, hun.” 

“Oh.” 

Her eyes moved around the yard, looking through everyone else. Neither Kassam or Lucas could be found. She pursed her lips in thought before letting out a groan and standing up reluctantly. Bobby looked at her in confusion. 

“I need to go talk to Lucas.” 

His mouth formed an O and nodded, waving her off as Ibrahim and Noah walked over with Gary. She offered a small smile to them and slipped past them without a word. She didn’t have to look very far as she found him where she was early, on the roof terrace. 

She cleared her throat to get his attention away from the sky, and he offered a weak smile to her. 

“I had a feeling I’d find you here,” she spoke carefully, standing near the doorway awkwardly. 

“There’s not many places where I can go to think,” he shrugged. “Plus, I was sort of looking for you too, and I know you come up here sometimes.” 

She licked her lips nervously, glancing at her shoes. 

“Come sit, Tobin.” 

She shuffled over and sat opposite of him, crossing her legs together tightly. 

“So what were thinking about?” She asked dumbly, fidgeting in her spot, and the eyebrow he raised at her had her cheeks warming up in embarrassment. “Right, of course.” 

“I’m not mad at you for the dispute, if that’s what you may be thinking. I’m just... confused.” 

“How so?” 

“I don’t even know why I brought Blake back, in a way. I was so excited to get to know you, but then you lot got taken away and the other girls took your place. It was overwhelming, especially after the video.” 

She shifted uncomfortably, playing with her ring. 

“Tell me the truth, please,” his dark eyes held such intensity that she shrunk back in her seat. “What did you think when you saw me walk in with Blake?” 

Tobin rolled her lips inwardly and looked down to her hand. She could say a few different things. She could say exactly what was on her mind now and then, but she knew she couldn’t say she knew who Blake was before this day. She was determined to keep those memories far away as she could, despite her being in the same house. 

“Lucas, we have known each other for maybe a week, and that’s a lot in this villa,” she met his gaze as he stared at her expectedly. “But at the same time, it was only a week, and we were coupled up for hardly a day. I wasn’t mad that you chose to switch to her, and as you can see, I did as well.” 

“Right, but I thought we got along really well, especially after the date we had when I first got here.” 

“We do, I’ve never had any issue with you, but that was just a date. The only one we’ve been on, and we only spoke when other people were around. Never like... this,” she waved her hands around. “I’m glad you found someone though.” 

“Well-” 

“I’m not done,” she held her hand up. “Whether or not you think she’s the one for you here, I did find someone I think is the one. So the truth, try it. Despite me not liking her and her approach, you obviously saw something in her.” 

Lucas stayed quiet for a few moments, staring up at the full moon, before speaking again. 

“Were you expecting it? Me to recouple?” 

Her eyebrows furrowing together with a frown. 

“Why would you think I’d expect that?” 

“Well,” he hesitated. “I thought you had recoupled as well, after that video message with you practically eating Kassam’s ear.” 

She blushed and let out a breathy laugh. 

“I didn’t think they’d send that part. That’s embarrassing,” she hid her face in her hands and heard him chuckling. 

“Look, I get it. You have more of connection with him than me, and I’m not going to get in the way of that,” he stood up and held his hand out to her. "It wouldn't be fair of me, and truth be told, after that down there, I'm a tad afraid to get in your way."

She glanced at him and slowly took it, letting him pull her up. 

“Friends?” 

“Friends.” 

* * * 

Tobin had her fill of reunion with everyone after her and Lucas headed down together. She did her best to steer clear of Blake, but she did chat with Shannon a bit to get to know her. But the Irish poker player intimidated her a bit. So, now, she was on the hunt for her Dj. She hadn’t seen him most of the night after she left, and it did worry her a little. 

She rounded the corner of the bedroom and found him talking to Bobby and Gary, and from what she saw, it looked like they were getting along. She smiled slightly and hesitated to go in, unsure if she should. Before she got the chance to decide, Gary spotted her. He smiled widely and waved her in, getting the attention of the other two. 

“Tobin! What are you hiding for?” 

She scowled at the crane operator and slowly walked in towards them. 

“I was just looking for this guy,” she poked Kassam in the side and snickered when he jumped. “I haven’t exactly seen much of him.” 

“My bad, love. I was just giving you the space to catch up with everyone,” Kassam wrapped his arm around her shoulder. 

“How kind.” 

“Oof, I feel the love.” 

Bobby and Gary were sniggering at the two. 

“It’s your turn to deal with her dry and dark comments, my friend. Our miss dark side can show the best side of it,” Bobby winked at her. 

“Don’t worry, I think I’ve had some directed at me,” the Dj shrugged, squeezing her shoulder. 

“Oh, buddy,” Gary shook his head in fake sympathy. “You’ve only had a taste.” 

“I can’t wait to taste more.” 

Tobin squeaked in surprise and burned bright red at his inneundo while the three guys were nearly on the floor in a fit of laughter. 

“If I would have known you three would team up on me, I would’ve left you behind,” she grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest, pulling free from Kassam. 

“Don’t be like that! You love us.” 

Before she could say a word, she was crushed in a two-way hug of Gary and Bobby. Her eyes met Kassam and pleaded for help with them, but he just shook his head and grinned at her. As much they annoyed her at times, she was glad to have a friendship as such with them. 

“You guys are a pain in my ass,” she huffed, pulling from their grip. 

“We know.” 

She rolled her eyes but smiled nevertheless. 

“I’m going to change and get ready for bed. You three, don’t get in too much trouble please.” 

“We’d never!” 

Both Gary and Bobby quickly pressed chaste kisses on her cheeks against her will, and she waved them off before she made her way into the bathroom, rubbing her cheeks while grumbling. They were definitely a pain. 

It didn’t take her too long to get changed and comfy. She easily wiped the makeup off, threw her hair up in a ponytail, and changed into her usual hoodie and shorts. By the time she was done, most of the girls were coming to change, and she got out of there before chaos happened. 

She was beyond ready to just lay down and relax, even if the she-devil was going to be sleeping in the same room as her. Without another thought, she flung herself into the bed on her stomach, sighing happily. She grabbed her pillow and hugged it to her chest, smiling. 

“Should I be jealous of that pillow?” Kassam asked while climbing into bed beside her. 

“Oh, very,” she hummed and looked at him. 

He chuckled and got himself comfy as the room started to fill up and get loud. She glanced back to see Bobby had sprawled across the bed, and Lottie was not having it. For a second, she was confused on why they were sharing until she realized that both of them were single. 

“Get up,” Lottie glared at the baker. 

“What?” He pouted. 

“You’re not taking the whole bed by yourself.” 

Tobin snickered quietly at the dejected look on Bobby’s face as he got up and complied after Marisol came out to say the same thing. 

A phone dinged before anyone else could say anything, and she watched Lottie pull out her phone, only for her face to fall. That got everyone’s attention. 

**_Islanders, the public have been voting for their favorite couples. The couples that receive the fewest votes will face being dumped tomorrow night._ **

“Well, that’s a way to end the night,” Bobby frowned. “Sharing the bed isn’t looking too bad now, is it?” 

Tobin felt a heavy weight on her shoulders, as she was scared what might happen. She just got with Kassam, and she didn’t want her time to end with him just yet. She turned to him, threw the pillow aside, and crawled her way to him. He held his arm open down, letting her lay close to him. 

“Do you think they like us? The public?” She asked quietly as the lights turned off and everyone settled into bed. 

“I don’t really care what they think, to be honest,” he turned his head to look down at her. “I’m just glad to have you right here with me.” 

“After tonight, I am too,” she sighed and curled into his side, throwing one of her legs over his waist. “That’s the future, despite how close it is, and I’d rather live in the present.” 

He chuckled quietly while he gently ran his fingers along her leg. 

“That was very poetic of you, almost as if you were a musician.” 

She smiled against his chest at his attempt to lighten the mood and pressed a gentle kiss to his chest. Whatever was to happen tomorrow, she was going to enjoy her moments with him now. 


End file.
